Support Programme for the Modernisation of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (PAMEC II)

Client: GIZ

Period: 08.2022-03.2024

Country: Cameroon

Context

Due to many factors, more than 40% of children under 5 are not registered at birth in Cameroon. In addition, less than 10% of deaths are reported. These cumulative facts lead to enormous difficulties in producing reliable population statistics by the Cameroonian State.

For the time being, the civil registration system relies on a manual process throughout the country with many inefficiencies, shortcomings and errors in the production of certificates. On the whole, the system for producing civil status and vital statistics suffers from three major problems: access to the system by the population, difficulties in collaboration between the institutions involved in the process, and insufficient capacity of the system’s personnel.

Since 2009, the State of Cameroon has been committed to the modernisation of the Civil Status and vital statistics production system and in this framework, numerous initiatives have been carried out, for example, the project to update the law on Civil Status registration is in the process of being validated, the production of a master plan on the computerisation of the Civil Status by BUNEC, etc. The results of the work carried out within the framework of these various initiatives will feed into the pilot project for the digitalisation of the Civil Status and vital statistics in Cameroon.

Project description

Most Cameroonian citizens do not have access to civil status registration (core problem). The project aims at achieving a structural improvement of the civil registration system.

Co-funded by GIZ and KOICA, the pilot project for the digitisation of the Civil Status and Life Statistics System in 20 communes of PAMEC Phase II, has six objectives:

• To design and develop a reliable, secure and inclusive digital CRVS system;
• To develop the capacity of beneficiary institutions to ensure effective service delivery and to take ownership of the solution;
• Deployment of the eCRVS solution in 20 pilot municipalities;
• Providing technical support and capacity building to ICT staff to ensure sustainable management and maintenance of the eCRVS solution in the long term;
• Conduct legal analysis to ensure that legal texts allow for effective digital CRVS services;
• Share Cameroon’s digital CRVS experience with the world.

In order to achieve the objectives of this pilot project for the digitisation of the Civil Registry, GIZ has called on the technical expertise of the AMBERO-NLD consortium, supported locally by ST DIGITAL, a national flagship in the field of digitalisation. This pilot phase of the project, which will last 20 months, will enable the State of Cameroon to experiment with the use of digital technologies to improve the CRVS and collect data to extend the system throughout the country. This is a major challenge that the State of Cameroon intends to take up with the support of donors and development partners. To achieve this, the success of phase II of PAMEC is a determining factor.

The Consortium AMBERO-NLD assumes responsibility for the development and implementation of Output 2, which is focused on the development and piloting of a digital CRVS system in 20 municipalities in Cameroon.

To find out more about the project:

• https://www.crtv.cm/2022/09/etat-civil-bientot-un-fichier-national-numerise/
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/12UNg9XGAoCk17ZA8Lb-5KQr-CTlRdl0i/view

This article was written by David TSAASSE FOPA, ITSM Expert AMBERO / Development and Piloting of Digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (CRVS) in Cameroon, under the supervision of Sékou Amadou MAÏGA, AMBERO Team Leader for PAMEC II.