The partnership between the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the National Population Commission (NPC) is part of Nigeria’s efforts to ensure that every child is registered at birth and has a recognized legal identity.

A major milestone was reached on 31 January 2025, when ALGON, UNICEF, NPC, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and Barnksforte Technologies Limited signed a Compact Agreement to strengthen birth registration and legal identity services across Nigeria’s local government areas.

On 17 September 2026, NPC had commenced training in Oyo State for its local-government staff and ALGON focal personnel on the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS) birth registration system.

1. The organisations involved

National Population Commission (NPC)

It is responsible for civil registration and vital statistics, including registering births, maintaining birth records, issuing birth certificates and coordinating the national electronic registration system.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

It provides technical assistance, advocacy, training support and resources to improve birth registration and protect children’s rights.

Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON)

It helps mobilise local government councils, raise public awareness and bring registration services closer to families and communities, especially in rural and underserved areas.

2. Main objectives of the partnership

The partnership aims to:

• Increase birth registration coverage so that every child in Nigeria is registered, particularly children under 12 months.
• Expand digital birth registration through the electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system (e-CRVS).
• Strengthen local government participation by training council personnel and improving coordination between NPC and local authorities.
• Provide legal identity for children through official birth records and certificates.
• Improve access to essential services, including education, healthcare and social protection.
• Improve population data for government planning, policymaking and national development.
• Reach underserved communities through health facilities, community outreach and local registration services.

These objectives are reflected in the Compact Agreement and Nigeria’s wider birth registration programme.

3. How the partnership works

NPC

Provides registration systems, personnel and official birth records.

ALGON and local government councils

Support grassroots mobilisation, training and access to registration services.

UNICEF and other partners

Support technical improvements, capacity building and public awareness.

Expected result: Every child is counted and has a recognized birth record.

The electronic system also supports stronger links between birth registration, health information and national identity management.

4. Recent progress in Nigeria

According to UNICEF’s report of 10 August 2026:

• Digital birth registration services were available in more than 6,000 of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.
• Targeted registration efforts had reached more than 14.5 million children.
• Registration services were increasingly being connected with health facilities and community outreach programmes.

These figures demonstrate progress in expanding access, although they do not mean that every Nigerian child has been registered.

5. Expected benefits

The partnership is expected to help Nigeria achieve the following:

• Reduce the number of children without birth certificates.
• Make birth registration more accessible and efficient.
• Improve the reliability of national population statistics.
• Strengthen child protection and legal identity.
• Support evidence-based government planning.
• Improve coordination between federal agencies, state authorities and local governments.

The ALGON, UNICEF and NPC partnership represents a coordinated effort to improve birth registration in Nigeria through digital technology, local government participation, training and public awareness. Its central goal is to ensure that every child, regardless of where they are born or their family’s circumstances, is registered and recognised under the law.

• ALGON: Compact Agreement on birth registration
• UNICEF Nigeria: Progress on legal identity and birth registration

Aims and objectives of birth registration

1. To provide legal identity: Birth registration gives a child an official record of birth and helps establish the child’s legal identity.

2. To record births: It helps the government keep accurate records of all births in Nigeria.

3. To provide proof of age: A birth certificate serves as official evidence of a person’s date and place of birth.

4. To help in national planning: Birth records help the government plan for schools, hospitals, housing and other public services.

5. To protect children’s rights: It helps children access their rights and can support efforts to prevent child trafficking and illegal adoption.

6. To determine population size: Birth registration provides information used in estimating the population of Nigeria.

7. To help in obtaining official documents: A birth certificate may be required when applying for a passport, school admission and other official documents.

8. To provide statistical information: It supplies data on births, which helps the government understand population growth and birth rates.

9. To promote citizenship and nationality rights: Birth records can provide evidence relevant to determining a person’s nationality, although birth registration alone does not automatically establish Nigerian citizenship.

10. To ensure every child is registered: The NPC works to ensure that every child born in Nigeria is registered, regardless of the child’s background.