Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 17 October 2017 (ECA) \u2013 The task force meeting on the establishment of the Committee of African Registrars General opened here Tuesday with Zimbabwe\u2019s Registrar General, Tobaiwa Mudede, saying the meeting is crucial and would help enhance and facilitate the visibility of vital civil registration systems in Africa.<\/p>\n
Mr. Mudede said although resolutions have been taken in the past by the Conference of Ministers responsible for Civil Registration, many have not been pursued due to lack of funds or unclear reasons raising the need for Africa\u2019s Registrars General to form an association to take to another level the agenda of vital civil registration.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of these and other resolutions have not been addressed. These resolutions are critical to the advancement of vital civil registration. However, it appears no one is talking about them anymore. Maybe they are meant to be forgotten and gather dust on the shelf. Since these are resolutions of our ministers they need to be taken up with the same resolute,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know our sector very well. It should be the responsibility of the association to play an advisory role and to follow up on all outstanding resolutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the association should provide expect guidance to member States and monitor developments in member countries and be a facilitator where necessary to improve vital civil registration.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther professions have their associations to champion their visions. Lawyers have law societies. Engineers have theirs too, so do accountants, medical doctors, pilots, farmers, teachers and the list is endless. This is the time to have our own Registrar General\u2019s association.\u00a0 It will also take care of the education, welfare and on the job training of its members. It is for our good. It is for the good of vital civil registration,\u201d Mr. Mudede to told Africa\u2019s Registrars General.<\/p>\n
The ECA\u2019s African Centre for Statistics is the secretariat of the Africa Programme for Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics initiative which is co-organized the meeting with hosts Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are gathered here at a historic place for a historic moment. We are here to enhance or facilitate the visibility of vital civil registration systems in Africa,\u201d said Mr. Mudede, adding the problem of population data in Africa as a whole was not well documented.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is either absent or if it is available is scantly inadequate. Therefore, decisions to address the sustainable development goals and other national issues which are dependent on population data become compromised,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mr. Mudede said currently the issue of vital civil registration is being championed by those in statistics on the continent but was still lagging behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are doing it for a noble cause. It is a statistical cause. Their concern is the collection of accurate population data for national planning. Our concern as Registrars is the establishment of impeccable all embracive vital civil registration systems to enable an easy route for those in statistics to collect that data.\u00a0 Hence our effort is on having everyone registered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to complement those in statistics.\u00a0 We cannot be a laughing stock. Sadly, since 2010 to date there is a gap in establishing a body of Heads of Vital Civil Registration Institutions to complement efforts being made to ensure that the agenda being advanced is the correct one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria Falls Mayor, Sifiso Mpofu, said the meeting came at a time Zimbabwe\u2019s currently conducting a three-month national outreach mobile registration exercise to issue vital civil registration documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is always a welcome gesture particularly for those communities living in distant places from registration offices. The Registrar General\u2019s office is going out to the people instead of the people going to the registration offices,\u201d said Mr. Mpofu.<\/p>\n