The aim of this high-level event is to emphasize the commitment of the current government and leadership to strengthen civil registration data capturing, collation, processing, dissemination, and timely access to vital statistics in the country. It is to accelerate the improved civil registration and vital statistics systems in Nigeria over a period of ten years, from 2023 to 2030 in a bid to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG):16.9.2 - legal identity for all, including birth registration. 

During the Sixth Session of the Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CVRS) held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa from 24 to 27 October 2022, African Ministers made several resolutions and encouraged all countries in the continent to automate the CRVS process and ensure the implementation of the United Nations Legal Identity Agenda. Member States were further encouraged to develop an electronic technology-driven system to boost data generation and civil statistics.

As part of Nigeria’s way of complying with the resolutions of the African Ministers and scaling up the automated process in Nigeria, the National Population Commission in collaboration with UNICEF developed the e-CRVS Operational Readiness Assessment Report showing the potential of digital technologies in providing transformative improvements in CRVS and on integrating data from multiple systems to securely store data at scale, in a cost-effective way in Nigeria. The report provided a holistic approach to the future state vision for digitized CRVS, the rollout of a decentralized digital birth registration system as part of CRVS, and identified areas to strengthen the automation of the system. 

Recommendations that will significantly increase the likelihood of reaching a universal digitalized birth registration system in Nigeria were in place.

The report ushered in the bold step taken by the Commission for a transformative innovation of the CRVS (Vital Reg) system by developing a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Commission and Barnksforte Technologies Limited - a reputable, and innovative local ICT solution provider with a track record of success in ICT solution provision with government agencies.  The PPP arrangement is to promote the Vital Reg System as a completely electronic system that digitalizes all civil registrations such as birth registration, stillbirth registration, birth attestation, adoption, marriage notification, divorce notification, migration and death. The system provides a digital certificate in all cases, an accessible verification platform to registered organizations, and a central management system (dashboard) that depicts and analyze collated civil registrations into vital statistics for proper decision-making.

The launch of the e-CRVS marks a departure from traditional paper-based recording of vital events to a state-of-the-art digital solution that conforms with international best practices. VITAL REG promises to revolutionize how vital events are recorded, tracked, and analyzed in the country.

The launch today of the CRVS National Coordination Committee is set to establish a high-level coordination mechanism involving all relevant stakeholders for the efficient functioning of the digital CRVS system and to support appropriate institutional and human infrastructure and operational procedures to capture vital statistics on diverse events in Nigeria. It is to ensure commitments and a sustained national, international, financial and political investment for birth registration within the CRVS system in Nigeria.

The launch is to advance the attainment of SDG Goal 16.9.2 - legal identity for all, including birth registration. and laying a solid foundation for an efficient Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system in Nigeria.

Isiaka Yahaya, Ph.D 

Director, Public Affairs 

6th November 2023