Zambia reveals strategy to hit 50% birth rate registration by 2026
Zambia is undertaking an ambitious push to raise its birth registration rate from 14% to 50% by 2026, as part of a broader plan to roll out a national digital ID system by 2027.
The move is a major shift for a country that currently ranks among the lowest in Africa for birth documentation, according to UNICEF.
Davies Chikalanga, Registrar General at the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the government is integrating digital infrastructure, legislative reforms, and healthcare system linkages to register every child.
“We are now at a stage where we need to fully take off and reach the level which other countries have already attained,” he told Biometric Update.
Currently, only 6% of Zambian children receive birth certificates at birth, and to change that, Zambia has made birth registration a core part of its national development strategy.
The UNICEF and World Bank are supporting the country’s efforts in digitising civil registration services, linking hospitals to the civil registry, boosting funding, and rolling out essential equipment nationwide.
The three-month campaign launched in April aims to register 3.5 million citizens for birth certificates and national IDs. These efforts are crucial, Chikalanga emphasised, for accurate data-driven governance.
“Birth and death certificates are not just pieces of paper; they are tools for planning and policy.”
Zambia hopes to offer a universal digital identity, enhancing access to public and private services across its 21 million population.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
