The Ghana Statistical Service has revealed that up to 74 per cent of children remain unregistered in some districts, raising concerns about access to basic services and long-term national planning.

Peter Yeltulme Mwinlaaru, a data scientist at GSS, disclosed this on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (23 December) while discussing district-level findings from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

He said although the GSS did not directly investigate the causes within the dataset, discussions with experts point to several key barriers, including distance to registration centres, low awareness, and education levels of parents and caregivers.

“Access to birth registration centres is not the same across districts. Some households live far from registration points, and others do not fully understand the relevance of registering a child,” he explained.

Why Birth Registration Matters

According to Mwinlaaru, birth registration gives a child a legal identity and enables the state to plan effectively for education, health care, and social services.

“It helps the country understand population trends and make informed decisions that improve the welfare of the people,” he said.

He noted that failure to register children could limit their access to education, healthcare, and other essential services later in life.

Nutrition, Sanitation and Handwashing Gaps

Mwinlaaru also highlighted stark disparities in nutrition, sanitation and hygiene across districts.

He pointed to the “double burden of malnutrition,” where households have both stunted children and anaemic women, noting that districts in parts of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions record particularly high levels.

On sanitation, he said Ghana missed its 2025 target for safe disposal of children’s faeces, warning that improper disposal increases the risk of disease transmission and places a heavy burden on households and the health system.

He further expressed concern about low access to basic handwashing facilities, with some districts recording rates as low as 4 per cent, compared to as high as 87 per cent in others.

“Having a designated place with water and soap encourages handwashing and reduces the risk of infectious diseases,” he said.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption a Public Health Concern

The GSS data also show high levels of excessive alcohol consumption among men aged 15 to 59 in some districts, particularly in parts of the Bono East, North East and Upper East regions.

Mwinlaaru warned that excessive drinking increases the risk of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, and can also contribute to road accidents and domestic violence.

He urged policy makers to act on all indicators revealed by the data but emphasised that interventions must be district-specific.

“There cannot be just one solution. National policies are important, but implementation must be tailored to the specific problems of each district,” he said.

Credit Asaaseradio