Mwinyi pledges to strengthen digital infrastructure for civic registration
ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR President Hussein Mwinyi has said the government will continue to strengthen the digital infrastructure for civil registration, citing its critical role in the country’s development.
Speaking at the climax of Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day celebrations, held at the Sheikh Idris Abdulwakil Hall in Kikwajuni area, Urban West Region, Dr Mwinyi underscored the importance of effective civil registration systems.
Observed annually on August 10, CRVS Day raises awareness on the value of registering key life events, such as births, deaths, marriages and divorces, as well as compiling reliable statistics.
“These systems not only provide individuals with legal identity but also enable access to government services and support public health planning,” Dr Mwinyi said.
Dr Mwinyi underlined that enhanced digital systems will boost efficiency and improve services provided by the Zanzibar Civil Status Registration Agency (ZCSRA) in registering births, deaths, divorces, marriages and issuing resident identification cards.
“Genuine development is impossible without legally recognised, modern and secure identification systems,” he said.
The president called on ZCSRA to launch a special campaign, in collaboration with local leaders, to ensure that by 2030, all children born in Zanzibar receive legal birth certificates.
He linked this initiative to Goal 16 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which emphasises legal identity for all.
Stressing the agency’s role in supporting other service providers, Dr Mwinyi said the effectiveness of civil registration can be measured by the proportion of children under five who are legally registered.
UN statistics show that in Africa, one in four children lacks a birth certificate.
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He said that civil registration is vital for advancing government development plans, ensuring community welfare, generating accurate data for public institutions, facilitating employment, healthcare, education and guiding budget planning.
Dr Mwinyi praised ZCSRA for modernising its systems and integrating them with other public service databases, a move that has improved efficiency, enhanced service delivery and reduced bureaucracy.
He noted that 15 institutions, including the Zanzibar Health Services Fund (ZHSF), Zanzibar Social Security Fund (ZSSF), People’s Bank of Zanzibar (PBZ), Zanzibar Higher Education Loans Board (ZHELB) and Zanzibar Land Commission, have been digitally linked to ZCSRA’s systems in the past year.
Dr Mwinyi said this year’s CRVS Day-2025 theme ‘Civil Registration as the Foundation for Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Legal Identity Systems in Africa,’ highlights the crucial role of civil registration in establishing robust digital public infrastructure and legal identity systems across the continent.
Earlier, ZCSRA Executive Director Mr Mohamed Ame Makame said that there can be no true progress in the digital era without legal recognition and registration of citizens in civil registration systems.
Minister of State in the President’s Office for Regional Administration, Local Government and Special Departments, Mr Masoud Ali Mohammed, attributed ZCSRA’s success to President Mwinyi’s vision, determination and progressive policies that have driven significant development reforms during his tenure
