The Upper East Regional Office of the Births and Deaths Registry has recorded significant progress in birth registration, following a series of interventions aimed at reaching underserved communities and improving access to civil registration services.
The Regional Registrar, Ms. Ismatu Yahaya, says the region registered 7,236 births in the first quarter of 2026, comprising 3,721 males and 3,515 females, describing the achievement as a major improvement over previous years.
A district breakdown shows Bawku West recorded the highest number of registrations with 874 births, followed by Bongo District with 710, Bolgatanga Municipal with 701, and Bawku Municipal with 685. Other districts recorded Garu – 371, Bawku East (Binduri) – 238, Builsa South – 294, Builsa North – 188, and Bolgatanga East – 166.
The Registry also recorded 77 deaths during the same period. Bolgatanga Municipal accounted for the highest number with 30 registrations, followed by Bawku West and Builsa North with five each, while Bongo District recorded no registered deaths during the quarter.
According to Ms. Yahaya, one of the biggest milestones came after the Registry partnered with the Ghana Health Service during the Child Health Promotion Week in May.
The collaboration produced a sharp increase in birth registrations across the region.
During the campaign, Bawku West registered 1,491 births, Bongo District 1,219, Bawku Municipal 1,218, Bolgatanga Municipal 1,170, Garu 620, Binduri 461, Builsa South 374, Builsa North 344, and Bolgatanga East 265. The figures demonstrate the impact of integrating birth registration into child health services.
The Regional Registrar attributed the success to stronger collaboration rather than relying solely on the Registry’s limited resources. She noted that working with the Ghana Health Service has enabled officials to reach more mothers and children during routine health programmes.
The Upper East Region has also been selected as one of five regions benefiting from the national Mobile Birth Registration Programme, which targets hard-to-reach communities. Ms. Yahaya says the region had already begun implementing similar outreach activities before the national rollout.
She disclosed that a recent outreach exercise in Pusiga District resulted in the registration of nearly 60 children in a single community, underscoring the need to intensify mobile registration services across remote areas.
Despite the gains, the Registry says several challenges remain. These include inadequate logistics, limited personnel, poor public awareness, and the difficulty of accessing isolated communities. Many parents, particularly in rural areas, are still unaware of the legal importance of obtaining a birth certificate within the first year of a child’s life.
The Registry is therefore calling for stronger partnerships with the media, the Department of Gender, non-governmental organisations, traditional authorities and community leaders to deepen public education on birth registration.
Ms. Yahaya stressed that a birth certificate is a child’s first legal identity document and serves as the foundation for accessing education, healthcare, social protection and other constitutional rights. She reminded parents that while late registration is possible, it attracts additional procedures and costs, making early registration within the infant period the most convenient and affordable option.
The Upper East Regional Births and Deaths Registry says it will continue expanding community outreach and strengthening partnerships to ensure that every child in the region is counted, protected and recognised under the law.
Source: Apexewsgh.com/Prosper Adankai/Contributor