26.6% of expected births in Ghana not registered as Kuami Eugene joins UNICEF outreach

Ghanaian musician Kuami Eugene has joined UNICEF Ghana and the Births and Deaths Registry to promote birth registration, as 26.6% of expected births in the country remained unregistered by the end of 2025.

According to UNICEF Ghana, 588,972 births had been registered by the end of 2025, representing 73.4% of the expected total. This means 26.6% of expected births were yet to be registered.

Kuami Eugene joined UNICEF Ghana and the Births and Deaths Registry during a Birth Registration Month visit to Bepoase in the Eastern Region to promote the registration of children within their first year of life.

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UNICEF Representative in Ghana Andy Brooks, officials of the Births and Deaths Registry, families, community leaders and frontline registration officials also took part in the visit.

The Eastern Region recorded an improvement in birth registration coverage, rising from about 60% in 2024 to 65% in 2025. However, UNICEF said the region remained among the lowest-performing regions in the country.

The organisation said distance and limited access to registration services continue to create barriers, particularly for families in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

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Poor roads, seasonal inaccessibility and limited transport can make registration difficult and costly, while resource constraints such as limited staffing, transport, information and communications technology equipment and community-level registration points can also affect service delivery.

UNICEF stressed that birth registration provides children with their first official proof of identity and can help them access healthcare, education and social protection.

Without proof of birth, children may face difficulties establishing their name, age, place of birth, nationality and family relationships. They may also encounter barriers to obtaining passports and national identification and accessing essential services.

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UNICEF and the Births and Deaths Registry are therefore calling for registration services to be made easier to access and better integrated into health and other community services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.