By Gom Mirian
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the National Population Commission (NPC) have entered into an agreement to enhance birth registration in Nigeria.
A statement jointly issued by the three organisations on Wednesday stated that the partnership was aimed at providing a robust framework within which the parties can implement a comprehensive and efficient digitalised birth registration process across the country.
It also stated that by leveraging their existing resources and facilities, the NYSC, NPC and UNICEF intend to benefit at least 12 million under-5 eligible children who will be registered as primary beneficiaries.
He added that families, parents, caregivers, communities, households, State and Local Government Areas (LGAs) and ward-level administrators will be indirect beneficiaries of this collaboration.
Speaking on the significance of the collaboration, the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General YD Ahmed, expressed his enthusiasm, saying the NYSC was honoured to join hands with the NPC and UNICEF in “this vital initiative.”
He added, “Our deployment of 850 corps members as coordinators and supervisors, spread across 22 states and the FCT, will ensure effective monitoring and supervision of the birth registration process. Together, we will strive to achieve comprehensive data collection and availability, supporting increased birth registration coverage in our respective LGAs,” Ahmed said.
The chairman of NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra said: “We are committed to supporting the recruitment of ad hoc birth registrars at the ward level and ensuring the availability of registration materials to coordinators and supervisors.
“By distributing protocols, checklists, FAQs, and informational materials, we aim to engage local government chairpersons, traditional and religious leaders, and communities to promote the importance of birth registration. Together, we will generate and analyze digitalised birth registration data at the LGAs and wards, ultimately increasing birth registration coverage.”
Meanwhile, UNICEF, a leading organization in child welfare and development, will bring its expertise to the table to support the digitalised birth registration services in focus states. “Our primary focus will be on providing technical assistance and evidence-based interventions,” emphasized Cristian Munduate, UNICEF representative in Nigeria.
“By integrating birth registration into routine health service delivery, conducting the digitalized birth registration process, and increasing awareness through state and community-level campaigns, we aim to ensure that every child has access to and benefits from the essential health and birth registration interventions they deserve,” Munduate added.
