The Cameroonian government has made significant progress in modernizing its civil status system, with a focus on digitalization. According to Georges Elanga Obam, Minister of Decentralization and Local Development, the government's concern is to bring the country's civil status system up to international standards. This involves the digitalization of civil status records, including birth, marriage, and death certificates.
The digitalization process has been underway since 2020, with the support of several partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the German Cooperation through the Programme d'appui à la modernisation de l'état civil (PAMEC), KOICA, the World Bank, and the French Development Agency (AFD). These partners have helped to implement pilot projects in 44 main civil status centers across the country.
The pilot projects have yielded significant results, including the digitization of 800,000 civil status archives, 50,767 birth certificates, 2,786 marriage certificates, and 2,798 death certificates. The projects have also enabled the development of a software for digitalizing civil status records and the establishment of a system for producing statistics on recorded civil status events.
The digitalization process has been conducted under the leadership of the National Civil Status Office (BUNEC), with the aim of creating a reliable and efficient system for managing civil status records. The government has also taken steps to integrate the digitalization process into the country's legal framework, with the promulgation of Law No. 2024/016 on December 23, 2024.
The law provides a legal framework for the digitalization of civil status records and ensures the integration of the new system into the country's internal order. According to Minister Elanga Obam, the government is committed to ensuring that the digitalization process is successful and that the new system is implemented effectively.
While some may argue that the process is slow, the minister notes that significant progress has been made, and that the recent promulgation of the law provides a solid foundation for the implementation of the digitalization process. The government is expected to continue working with its partners to ensure the successful implementation of the new system.
The modernization of the civil status system is expected to have a significant impact on the lives of Cameroonian citizens, providing them with easier access to essential documents and services. The government hopes that the new system will also help to improve the country's vital statistics, enabling better planning and decision-making.
Key points
- The Cameroonian government has made significant progress in modernizing its civil status system through digitalization.
- The digitalization process has been conducted under the leadership of the National Civil Status Office (BUNEC), with the support of several international partners.
- The new system is expected to improve the lives of Cameroonian citizens and provide better vital statistics for planning and decision-making.
