Sekondi, March 02, GNA - A total of 47,088 births were recorded in the Western Region last year, Mr Stephen Ntow, the Regional Registration Officer of the Department of Birth and Death, has said. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Sekondi on Wednesday, he said 37,662 of the figure were children under one year. Mr Ntow said the Department of Birth and Death register children less than one year free of charge under a programme supported by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and Plan Ghana, a non-governmental organisation.

He said the Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly recorded the highest registration of births of 7,812 followed by the Wassa West District Assembly that registered 6,722. Mr Ntow said 8,001 deaths were also recorded in region in 2005 with SAEMA registering the highest figure of 2,050 deaths followed by the Wassa West with 1,721 deaths.