By: Saidu Jalloh
The National Civic Registration Authority [NCRA] has on the 27th of November, 2024, conducted a workshop for the review of the National Civic Registration Bill 2022 and four draft regulationsThe Director General of National Civic Registration Authority, Mr. Mohamed Massaquoi in his opening statement opined that the four-day workshop on the review of the proposed draft of the National Civic Registration Bill and Regulation is a transformative initiative that would shape the fabric of Civic Registration and identity management system for generations to come.
Mr. Massaquoi expressed that Civic Registration under the auspices of Minister of Affairs bared a weighty responsibility of conducting continuous permanent, universal and compulsory registration of life’s most significant milestones; Birth, Death, Marriages, Adoptions, Nullities and the recognition of both citizens and residents in Sierra Leone.
He commented that since the inception, NCRA had been a beacon of progress, illuminating the pathways towards improved and well-coordinated registration of vital events and enhanced identity management. ‘’Our work is not merely about registration but constitutes the very foundation upon which our nation builds its future,’’ Massaquoi added.
He further mentioned that civic registration and vita statistics were the life blood of administrative functions, providing essential data that nourished national development planning across sector, from health and education to electoral registers and national identification among many other development triggers.
UNICEF Country Representative, Mr. Rudolf Schwenk lamented that birth registration is a child first right, more than just a legal obligation and that it is the formal recognition of a child’s identity, their place in our society, and their belonging. Mr. Schwenk also explained that the country’s registered a sharp increased in birth registration levels from just over 50% in 2008 to nearly 80% in 2010, with levels then stagnating over the following seven years.
He furthered that the country had seen another increase in birth registration over just two years from around 80% in 2017 to 90% in 2019- 2020. However, Mr. Schwenk advanced that challenges are still there, and it included disparities in registration rates between urban and rural areas and ensuring registered children received birth certificates. He provided statistics that in 2017 70% of the children under age of five (5) did not actually had the vital legal certificate to prove it.
He addressed that children remained marginalized and excluded from the essential services that form the bedrock of their survival and development, education, healthcare and social protection. Mr. Schwenk noted that the absence of birth registration crates lifelong disadvantages for children who did not have their vital documents and concerted efforts were needed by all governments and all key stakeholders to bridge this gaap.
Mr. Schwenk acknowledged the vital assistance of key partners including the European Union and UN agencies who were working on civic registration, and that together they had the power to create a future where every child in Sierra Leone is counted, protected and empowered to thrive.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Major David Taluva, expressed delight to be part of the review process of the draft bill and regulations of the National Civic Registration Authority, and as a supervisory ministry to the NCRA, the review, he said enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the mandate to the NCRA.
Major Taluva commended NCRA for the strides in achieving their objectives and functions especially in the area of providing other MDAs with access to the civil registration system such as NRA, NASSIT and SLRA which had assisted in decision making and public administration.
He ended that in order for NCRA to continue to achieves its mandate, it is important that the legal framework for its operation is improved to make provisions for the changing times in area of civic registration, identity management and vital statistics
