In the Eastern Region of Ghana, the farming community of Bepoasi is home to over 3,000 people. However, some children in this community have grown up without any official record of their birth. To address this issue, UNICEF Ghana and highlife musician Kuami Eugene recently visited Bepoasi to promote birth registration. The visit was led by Andy Brooks, UNICEF Ghana's newly appointed Representative, who brought the agency's team to the remote farming town alongside Kuami Eugene.
The delegation joined residents for a live registration exercise and a durbar dedicated to the importance of documenting every child's birth. Kuami Eugene used his presence at the event to encourage parents and caregivers to register their children at birth. His involvement added visibility and excitement to the exercise, which might have otherwise drawn a smaller crowd. The event was reported by MyJoyOnline, a Ghanaian news outlet.
According to UNICEF Ghana and its partners, children without birth certificates face significant barriers to accessing education and other public services. In Ghana, documentation is often required to enrol in school or access government programmes. For communities like Bepoasi, where residents are largely engaged in farming and may have limited access to registration offices, the consequence is that children can become invisible to the systems meant to serve them.
A representative of Ghana's Births and Deaths Registry, Edward Abrahams, participated in the Bepoasi event and spoke about the long-term significance of the registration drive. He called for continued support to expand similar services to other communities across the country. The Bepoasi visit is part of a broader UNICEF-led push for universal birth registration in Ghana, aimed at ensuring every child is formally recognised from birth.
The campaign brings together UNICEF Ghana, the Births and Deaths Registry, and public figures like Kuami Eugene to reach communities that may otherwise be overlooked by routine registration services. By partnering with influential figures, UNICEF Ghana hopes to raise awareness about the importance of birth registration and encourage communities to take action.
UNICEF Ghana and its partners are calling on parents, caregivers, and communities nationwide to register every child at birth. While the sources do not specify a timeline for extending similar registration drives to other communities, the effort aims to ensure that all children in Ghana have access to essential services and opportunities. The impact of the Bepoasi registration drive will likely be monitored and evaluated in the coming months.
Birth registration is a critical process that involves the official recording of a child's birth by government authorities, typically resulting in a birth certificate. This document serves as proof of a child's identity, age, and nationality, and is often required to access services such as school enrolment, healthcare, and, later in life, voting and formal employment. By promoting birth registration, UNICEF Ghana and its partners aim to support the well-being and development of children across the country.
Key points
- UNICEF Ghana and Kuami Eugene team up to promote birth registration in Bepoasi.
- Children without birth certificates face barriers to accessing education and public services.
- The campaign aims to ensure every child in Ghana is formally recognised from birth.
