Ditch Birth & Death Registry if birth certificate does not validate citizenship – Gyampo

He said the Supreme Court should rethink its position that the birth certificate is only a document and does not validate citizenship

Speaking on TV3 Key Point, Prof Gyampo said “I am wondering about Birth and Death Registry, what will be their relevance if birth and death certificate is not proof of citizenship?

“It is quite worrying, I believe we should begin to rethink this otherwise we should scrap the Birth and Death Registry.”

The Supreme Court had first ruled in the case of the NDC and another vs the Attorney General seeking to expand the required documents Ghanaians can use to obtain a voter’s ID, one of them asking for birth certificates to be included.

“A birth certificate is not a form of identification. It does not establish the identity of the bearer. Nor does it link the holder with the information on the certificate. Quite obviously, it provides no evidence of citizenship,” the court stated

Facing the appointment committee on Friday, May 26, the Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, also reiterated the Supreme Court’s position, saying the birth certificate only serves as a document that records one's birth location hence it does not establish nationality