derick.khumalo
Rutendo Nyeve
[email protected]
THE Annual Expert Group Meeting for African Registrars General on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (EGMRG) has commenced in Victoria Falls, bringing together representatives from all 54 African Union Member States to chart the course for the continent’s civil registration for the next decade.
The meeting is being held under the theme: “New CRVS Decade (2026–2036): Consolidating the Gains of APAI-CRVS and Securing the Future of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Africa through Integration, Decentralization, and Digitalization.”
This theme marks a shift from establishing systems to securing their future through modernisation.
The official opening ceremony is set to be a presided over by the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, who is expected to deliver the keynote address and officially open the proceedings.
Minister Kazembe has arrived accompanied by the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland North, Richard Moyo.
The meeting is set to review the past decade’s achievements and design a roadmap for the future.
A high-level panel with the APAI-CRVS Core Group, including partners like UNECA, UNICEF, and the World Bank is expected to reflect on past support and future collaboration.
A central focus of the meeting will be on The African eCRVS Shared Asset (ACSA), a framework developed to address fragmented and vendor-dependent digital CRVS systems.
This initiative aims to create a common continental standard for digital civil registration to ensure interoperability and cost-effectiveness.
Delegates will also participate in breakout sessions tackling critical areas such as interoperability between CRVS and health or education systems, strategies for decentralisation to reach remote communities, and leveraging technology for digitalisation.
The meeting will also address the complete lifecycle of vital events, including the registration of marriages and divorces, as well as improving death registration and cause-of-death reporting.
The outcomes of the meeting will be crucial in preparing for the 6th Conference of African Ministers (COM6), with the week concluding with the adoption of a formal communique to guide the continent’s CRVS strategy for the next ten years.
