Women Affairs Ministry, NPC Partner on Birth Registration, Gender Database

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the National Population Commission (NPC) on strengthening birth registration and developing a reliable gender database to support inclusive national development.

The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, made this known in a press release signed by Ahmed Lawan Danbazau, mnipr, Head, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, when she received a delegation from the National Population Commission led by its Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, during a courtesy visit to her office in Abuja.

The Minister stated that the ministry is willing to work closely with the Commission, particularly in the areas of community mobilisation and sensitisation of women to ensure their active participation in NPC activities. These include the continuous Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) processes and the forthcoming Population and Housing Census.

Highlighting the challenges faced by women across the country, Suleiman-Ibrahim stressed that reliable population data remains critical to designing targeted and effective interventions.

“These are the kind of issues we want to address together, ensuring that children are properly registered, whether at community level or in hospitals, and that we have the opportunity to study and understand our population dynamics,” she said.

She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to promoting inclusive national development through a dependable database that prioritises gender equity, protection of children, and the empowerment of families in decision-making processes.

Earlier, the NPC Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to advance gender-responsive policies, expand birth registration coverage, and enhance access to reliable population data for national development.

He expressed appreciation for the warm reception and emphasised the Ministry’s pivotal role in promoting the welfare, protection, and empowerment of women, children, and families across Nigeria.

As the custodian of population statistics and Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), he noted that the Commission remains committed to producing reliable and timely data to guide evidence-based policymaking, equitable service delivery, and inclusive national planning.

Dr. Yusuf identified the strengthening of birth registration, particularly for the girl child, as a key area of cooperation, explaining that birth registration provides every child with a legal identity  the first step toward accessing education, healthcare, and social protection services.

He also commended the Ministry for what he described as exemplary leadership, especially in preparation for the 70th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), where both agencies are expected to contribute to discussions on advancing the rights of the girl child and women of reproductive age.