Patience Makwele
Namibia is rolling out a digital system to improve birth registration and close gaps that have left some citizens without formal records.
The reforms focus on expanding electronic birth and death notification systems to ensure every birth is recorded in real time and linked to civil registration.
Health and social services minister Esperance Luvindao said the move marks a shift in how services are delivered.
“This is about ensuring that every Namibian is seen, counted, and able to access the services they are entitled to,” she said at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) learning visit in Windhoek on Monday.
Home affairs minister Lucia Iipumbu said Namibia has already made progress in digitising civil registration.
She said the e-notification system is now active in 153 facilities across the country, including hospitals, police mortuaries and old age homes.
The system was introduced for births in 2017 and extended to deaths in 2018.
It allows real-time data sharing between institutions and feeds directly into civil registration.
“The system allows for immediate notification and strengthens our ability to plan, respond to emergencies and produce reliable national statistics,” Iipumbu said.
Despite this progress, delays between birth and formal registration remain a challenge. In some cases, children are not registered in the early months, which affects access to services.
A midwife at Windhoek Central Hospital said the issue is common.
“You can deliver a baby today, but that child is not yet in the system. When the mother needs documents or support, it becomes a problem,” she said.
The government plans to address this by integrating systems to allow faster data flow and better tracking of health trends.
Luvindao said digital tools will play a central role.
“Electronic health records, artificial intelligence and telemedicine are no longer optional. They are essential if we are to deliver quality care to every Namibian.”
Iipumbu said cooperation between institutions, including the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) and social protection systems, has helped improve data use.
She said the importance of reliable data became clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, when accurate information was needed for decision-making.
The government said the rollout will require continued investment, stronger data protection and improved digital skills in the health sector and among the public.
The government is exploring funding options, including public-private partnerships, to support the system.
Delegates from Botswana, Ethiopia and Senegal attended the Windhoek meeting to learn from Namibia’s approach.
Luvindao said the reform is about access and inclusion.
“When we digitise, we are not just improving systems. We are making sure that no Namibian is invisible.”
