Platform for birth registration via mobile phone rolled out

According to various media reports, Tanzania has launched a nationwide drive to aid parents register their children’s births via their mobile phones so the government can better plan health, education and other services meant for the public.

The new system will be rolled out over the next five years allowing a worker to send a baby’s name, sex, date of birth and other details by phone to a central database with a birth certificate being issued for free within a few days. The project is being run by the government registration agency, RITA, along with UNICEF and telecommunication company, Tigo.

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Speaking on the project, RITA’s acting head, Emmy Hudson, said the project has brought about much needed acceleration to birth registration after years of stagnation.

Tanzania has one of the lowest rates of birth registration in eastern and southern Africa with some 80 percent of Tanzanians – more than nine in ten under-fives – not having birth certificates, according to a 2012 census.