Tema, Oct. 16, GNA - Every any birth or death that occurs within the borders of Ghana is requested by law to be registered, the authorities have said.

Mr Stephen Amoah, Greater Accra Registrar of Birth and Deaths, said registering births and death was important for better national development planning, adding that the process was not tedious to warrant any resort to the use of backdoor services. "Birth certificate contractors only prey on the ignorance of the public and succeed in producing fake certificates," he said at the launch of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly Birth and Death Registry. He said currently, the Registry has attached officers to Passport Offices to identify fake certificates, adding that Embassies in Ghana were also equipped to detect such counterfeits and would accordingly reject them.

He said a nationwide Community Birth Registration Programme, which was being piloted in 21 communities in the Upper West, Upper East and Central Regions, would soon take off subject to the availability of funds.

Currently, birth and deaths registry are operating in 138 districts, with 394 registration centres nationwide, including offices at health centres. "As such it should not be difficult for parents to register their babies," he said, adding that registration of children aged up to one year is free while the same incentive goes for death registration within seven days of occurrence.

He called on Parliament to review the relevant legislation to make it obligatory for employers and educational institutions to insist on birth certificates of prospective applicants. Mr Kingsley Asare Addo, Senior Assistant Regional Registrar said Ghana would have a universal register of births and deaths by the year 2015, adding that the process had already started. He urged the public to desist from burying their deceased without registering them. Nii Adjei Kraku II, Tema Mantse, who chaired the launching, presented himself for his birth records to be taken. 16 Oct 08