67% of revenue generated by Births and Deaths Registry still goes to Finance Ministry

A committee set up by Parliament met the Births and Deaths Registry to discuss solutions to challenges that the institution faces.

The most significant by far has been its financial woes which have stagnated the institution in a diverse way.

In an interview with the media, on Friday 14th November, Hon. Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi MP for Odotobri who doubles as the Chairman for the Local Government Committee in Parliament explained the importance of the meeting.

He stated the committee has observed that the management of the organization is poised to work hard for more growth but is unable to generate revenue as it receives minimal work as an institution. For this reason, the organization is constantly challenged financially even as it presence in over 261 Metropolitan Municipal Assemblies nationwide. The Registry also work at the Zonal and Electoral Areas in all 16 Regions of Ghana.

He also emphasized that according to the policy of the organization, when a child is born up to five years, parents do not have to pay any amount of money during the birth registration and certification until the child is above 5 years.

Hon Akwasi Agyamfi also brought to light that only 33% of revenue generated by the organization remains in their coffers. This means 67% of the revenue accrued goes to the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, the committee will recommend to the Ministry of Finance to reconsider this arrangement.

"As an important public institution, they lack facilities and most of their offices are spaces belonging to the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG). There is a dire need for them to own office complexes nationwide," he stated.

The chairman added, "we all have the responsibility as Ghanaians to ensure that when a child is born here, the name is registered and the same should be done when a person dies, although some people think birth certificate is only needed when they want to travel, which is incorrect."

He encouraged Ghanaians to take more interest in this as it is relevant for national growth.