(Buchanan City, Liberia – March 1, 2025)– In an effort to enhance birth registration rates and strengthen Liberia’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, the Ministry of Health (MOH), through the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Friday, February 28, 2025, launched a nationwide Birth Registration Training Program. The initiative seeks to equip midwives and nurses with specialized training, ensuring a sustainable, community-driven approach to birth registration and improving overall service delivery. The training program is structured into three cohorts, targeting healthcare professionals from multiple counties to maximize national coverage.
The first cohort comprises participants from Rivercess, Grand Bassa, and Montserrado counties. The second cohort includes midwives and nurses from Bomi, Sinoe, Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, and Bong counties, while the third cohort covers Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Maryland, and Grand Kru counties, respectively. Through this phased approach, the Ministry aims to build a network of trained healthcare providers who will serve as birth registration ambassadors within their communities. Each participant will undergo a three-day intensive training focused on birth registration protocols, data collection, and reporting. The program will also focus on early birth registration in safeguarding children’s legal identity, ensuring access to healthcare and education, and protecting their rights under national and international legal frameworks. By involving frontline healthcare workers, the initiative will help integrate birth registration into routine maternal and child health services.
In his remarks, Dr. Anthony L. Fortune, Assistant Minister for Vital Statistics, highlighted the significance of birth registration as a fundamental human right. He pointed out that despite its importance, many Liberian children remain unregistered due to logistical barriers, lack of awareness, and resource constraints. He stressed that this program aims to close the gap by leveraging healthcare workers as key actors in the birth registration process. “By empowering midwives and nurses—who are often the first point of contact for newborns and their families—this program will bridge the gap and create a more inclusive and efficient birth registration system,” Dr. Fortune stated.
He urged participants to take ownership of the initiative, emphasizing that their role is crucial in ensuring a more structured and systematic approach to birth documentation. Dr. Fortune also underscored the broader implications of birth registration on national development. He explained that a well-functioning CRVS system helps governments allocate resources effectively, design better health and education policies, and ensure social protection for vulnerable populations. He further noted that the Bureau of Vital Statistics is working to address systemic challenges by making birth registration services more accessible and financially sustainable. Speaking at the launch event, Dr. Jude Gardea Wesseh, Grand Bassa County Health Officer, represented the Minister of Health, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening Liberia’s CRVS system.
Dr. Wesseh also noted that this initiative aligns with broader efforts to enhance data accuracy and improve policy planning in Liberia. The initiative is part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to transform Liberia’s CRVS system into a more effective, inclusive, and technology-driven framework. In addition to training midwives and nurses, the Ministry is collaborating with local governments, community leaders, and international development partners to expand public awareness campaigns and remove barriers to birth registration.
The Ministry of Health has called on stakeholders, including traditional leaders, civil society organizations, and donor agencies, to support this initiative. Collective efforts will be essential in ensuring that every child in Liberia is registered at birth and has access to legal identity, which is a gateway to essential services such as healthcare, education, and social protection. As the program rolls out nationwide, the Ministry remains committed to strengthening the country’s CRVS system and ensuring that no child is left undocumented.