UNICEF says Nigeria accounts for 11% unregistered children in West Africa

The United Nations Children’s Fund says Nigeria accounts for 11 per cent of unregistered children in West Africa.

UNICEF, in a statement on Tuesday, said the African continent has the lowest birth registration rate in the world with only 44 per cent of children registered at birth and millions of deaths also go uncounted each year.

UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Peter Hawkins, in the statement, said birth registration was a one-off event that gives every child a unique identity which would give them better access to vital services like health, education, and social protection.

He said, “Every child counts and we must ensure that we count every child, so that they can best benefit from important services like health and education.

“We need to work together to ensure effective coordination to make this happen. Functional systems that allow for the sharing of data across information management databases that are integrated with other vital services are necessary to push the birth registration rate in Nigeria up, and make sure every child is counted.” The statement said.