President Bola Tinubu is poised to introduce a groundbreaking Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System along with a Geospatial Data Repository on Wednesday. This significant development was revealed by Nasir Kwarra, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, during a pre-launch briefing in Abuja on Monday.

Kwarra emphasized that the unveiling of the e-CRVS by President Tinubu underscores the current government’s unwavering commitment to enhancing civil registration data collection, processing, dissemination, and the timely availability of statistics concerning vital events in the nation. The primary objective is to expedite the advancement of civil registration and vital statistics systems in Nigeria over the course of a decade, from 2023 to 2030, with the aim of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal.

In a collaborative effort with the United Nations Children’s Fund, the commission has developed the eCRVS Operational Readiness Assessment Report, which highlights the potential of digital technologies in delivering transformative outcomes in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and integrating data from various sources for secure storage on a large scale in a cost-effective manner in Nigeria. This report has paved the way for a bold initiative by the Commission, establishing a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with Barnksforte Technologies Limited for the transformation of the eCRVS system.

This PPP arrangement is designed to promote the Vital Registration System as a fully electronic system, digitalizing all aspects of civil registration, including birth registration, stillbirth registration, birth attestation, adoption, marriage notification, divorce notification, migration, and death records. The system issues digital certificates in all cases, offers accessible verification platforms to registered organizations, and features a central management system (dashboard) for collating and analyzing civil registration data into vital statistics to facilitate informed decision-making.

Kwarra emphasized that this marks a significant departure from the traditional paper-based recording of vital events, ushering in a state-of-the-art digital solution adhering to international best practices. The electronic CRVS system promises to revolutionize how vital events are recorded, tracked, and analyzed in Nigeria.

Additionally, the National Population Commission has employed a cutting-edge Geographic Information System in the preparation for the first digital Census in Nigeria, capturing geospatial data covering various dimensions with complete nationwide coverage. This repository database, which President Tinubu will also introduce for public and private sector use, marks a major step forward in leveraging technology to enhance census operations.

Furthermore, Mr. President will inaugurate the CRVS National Coordination Committee as part of these significant developments, showcasing the government’s commitment to modernizing data management and improving vital statistics in the country.