Niger starts pilot under WURI project to issue birth certificates to 21k under-fives

The government of Niger has kicked off a pilot that seeks to issue birth certificates to children under the age of five in the Filingué administrative area.

In total, 21,202 children who do not yet have birth certificates there are targeted for the birth registration pilot, according to Niger government news agency Le Sahel.

Unfolding under the WURI Niger project, the pilot will also see the digitization of existing birth records at the level of local councils and judicial officers in the area. The Norwegian Refugee Council has also implemented a project to digitize birth certificates in Niger.

The West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) project is a regional initiative aimed at providing government-issued proof of identity to individuals in six participating countries. Niger launched its WURI project in 2022.

During the launching ceremony of the birth certificates registration pilot, which was attended by several dignitaries, the National Coordinator of the WURI Niger project, Abdourazakhe Abani, as well as the head of the country’s civil status registration authority, Dan Elhadj Abdou, both underlined the importance of birth registration.

They said apart from being a right which every child must enjoy, a birth certificate is an important foundational ID document which is crucial in accessing education, healthcare, citizenship and social protection services. The officials called on parents and other stakeholders to make the most of the opportunity by bring out children for the registration process.

The government representative in the administrative unit, Captain Abdoul Habibou Mali, expressed gratitude to WURI for choosing his administrative jurisdiction for the pilot, and stated the full commitment and support of the government for the successful implementation of the project. Mali also mentioned the ongoing civil status reform the government has undertaken, saying it is aimed at making sure that every child has a legal identity.

As part of the launching ceremony, a child was symbolically registered and issued a birth certificate in a process that demonstrated the practical steps from the identification of the child to the end of registration. Some personnel involved in the registration process have also been trained on how to properly fill out forms.

Niger is also working to implement a MOSIP-based national digital ID program, with a pilot powered by BioEnable already completed.

Article Topics

Africa  |  birth registration  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  legal identity  |  Niger  |  WURI