The Births and Deaths Registry (BDR) has initiated a Mobile Mass Registration (MMR) Exercise in Accra as part of the process to attain universal vital registration to aid government plan and develop socio-economic programmes with the use of a reliable and credible data.

Also, steps are being taken to integrate the registration system with related government agencies such as the National Identification Authority (NIA) and National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to improve upon administrative data gathering to ensured that every child born in the country is registered and given an identification number.

This is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, which gives every child the right to be legally registered and legitimately documented by government in consistent with the Sustainable Development Goal Nine (9).  This makes any child who is unregistered to stand the risk of being unable to access social intervention programmes.

These were contained in a speech delivered by the Honourable Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr. Daniel Botwe at the launch of the Mobile Mass Registration (MMR) Exercise.

This exercise contributes to the attainment of universal vital registration in Ghana. Through public education and sensitization on the need and importance of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.

Public awareness understanding of births and deaths registrations is essential to government’s planning and development of socio-economic programmes.

The occasion was used to distribute two thousand, four hundred and fifty (2,450) mobile tablets and eighty (8) vehicles to the BDR regional offices across the country.

Source: MLGDRD Public Relations Unit

 Hon Dan Botwe, the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD), has underscored the need for policies to be informed by data by all Ministries, Department, and Agencies (MDAs)as well as the private sector.

This he said is necessary because development primarily is for the benefit of the population and as such the dynamics of the population at different levels should be the basic considerations in any development planning decision-making.

He, therefore, called on all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to make budgetary allocations to build capacities in data management to ensure that policies and programmes implemented are data-driven.

 Adding that, “this is even more critical because the MLGDRD) oversee the work of all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), which are the basic units of planning and development in the country. “

The Minister made these remarks at a Policy Dialogue organised by the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) and partners in Accra; under the theme “Census Data for Policy Decision-Making and Sustainable Development”.

He urged MMDAs to make conscious efforts in searching for, and always using the correct data to inform their medium to long-term development planning activities.

The Dialogue brought together all relevant institutions together to think through how they can together bring this important vision to the front burner of our development planning discourse.

The Minister commended the Government Statistician and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and all partners for ensuring the successful conduct of the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) that has once again provided the nation with enormous data to assist with key indicators at the national and sub-national levels in order to measure the progress of all sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

He congratulated RIPS on the Institute’s 50^th Anniversary and the idea to working together with their partners, Ghana Statistics Service (GSS), National Development Populations Commission (NDPC), National Population Council (NPC) and the MLGDRD to organise such an important Policy Dialogue around the need to bring to the fore the importance of data usage in all policy decisions in Ghana. 

Source: MLGDRD Public Relations Unit

Mr Daniel Botwe, Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), has called for the nurturing of trees so they grow well.

“The Green Ghana Project should be sustained throughout the year because the trees planted must be nurtured to grow and new ones planted,” he said.

The Minister made the call at a ceremony to mark the Green Ghana Day Project at Aburi Botanical Gardens in the Eastern Region.

In all, 500 new tree species were planted in the Gardens.

The second edition of the Green Ghana Project was launched on March 1, 2022, under the theme: “Mobilising for a Greener Future.”

The target is to plant 20 million trees across the country this year.

The Minister said the set target was a call for action, which could only be achieved if everyone actively supported and participated in the Project.

“The Green Ghana Project is an important exercise that requires the support of citizenry, institutions and bodies, as it borders on our very existence, as the saying goes ‘when the last tree dies, the last man dies,’” he said.

Mr Botwe said the Department of Parks and Gardens under the MLGDRD was available to provide technical support to sustain the Project.

He said the theme for this year’s Project was in line with the “Planting for the Future and Now” Project of the Department of Parks and Gardens.

Thus, the Ministry was well-positioned to collaborate with other agencies to raise awareness and mobilise support for the achievement of the laudable objectives of the Green Ghana Project.

He said the MLGDRD appreciated the effort of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to restore Ghana’s lost vegetation and was ready to collaborate with all stakeholders to harmonise and maximise various interventions.

Mr Botwe said as part of the Ministry’s oversight responsibilities, they had prioritised resourcing the Department of Parks and Gardens to enable it to deliver on its mandate of improving the horticultural potential of Ghana’s urban and rural areas.

He said that would include the rehabilitation of the Aburi Botanical Gardens to international standards to provide a serene and natural environment for relaxation for both domestic and foreign visitors.

The Minister said this year, the Department was also targeting the greening of road medians and walkways. He said the project was important for the efforts being made by the global community to address the effects of climate change.

The Minister said the negative impact of climate change all over the world was an indication for countries to rise up to the occasion and implement mitigation and adaptation measures to build resilient safe and sustainable cities, towns and villages.

He said the sub-national structures comprising Regional Coordinating Councils and Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) had the responsibility to develop, improve and manage human settlements and the environment in their districts.

Mr Botwe said the Ministry had, therefore, charged the MMDAs to support the Parks and Gardens Unit within the MMDA with basic logistical support for effective work.

He said they should also liaise with Regional Parks and Gardens for needed support and assist the MMDAs in the building and revamping of parks in their jurisdictions.

The Minister said his outfit, through the Department would achieve that by collaborating with all stakeholders to plant and prune trees, beautify ceremonial routes, road medians or office and residential frontages, and create parks and develop open spaces.

Mr Frank Aidoo, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Akuapem South, said as part of the planting exercise, the Municipal Assembly took delivery of ten thousand seedlings of a variety of trees.

He said the seedlings had been distributed across the 26 electoral areas to be planted under the leadership of the various Assembly Members.

The MCE said identifiable groups had also been given some seedlings to be planted.

“It is our firm belief that trees are green gold and are priceless. Thus, our commitment to planting trees will not only be done on selected dates or occasions but will be a frequent practice that will make our environment unique and be classified as one of the most beautiful places in this country if not the world as a whole,” he said.

The ceremony was attended by personnel from MLGDRD, Akuapem South Municipality, traditional leaders, security agencies, and students, among others.

Source: GNA