Rwanda to Celebrate African CRVS Day with Week-long National Awareness Campaign

On August 12, 2025, Rwanda join other African nations in commemorating African Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day, an annual event established by the African Unionto highlight the importance of robust CRVS systems in promoting inclusive governance, social protection, and sustainable development.

The Ministry of Local Government, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), the National Identification Agency (NIDA), Irembo, and a wide network of partners, have spearhead the celebrations at both national and local levels.

This year’s theme, “Leveraging Digital Civil Registration System to Build Inclusive and Accessible Services”, reflects Rwanda’s remarkable strides in modernizing civil registration. Since 2020, the country has fully digitized the registration of all nine vital events — including births, deaths, marriages, adoptions, divorces, legitimations, recognitions, annulments, and name changes. This transformation has reduced paperwork, improved accuracy, shortened processing times, and expanded access to services, even in remote communities.

Officials note that digital CRVS systems are not only a tool for efficient record-keeping but also a cornerstone for delivering essential services such as healthcare, education, and social protection. A well-functioning CRVS system ensures that every individual is counted, recognized, and able to claim their rights, in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.9, which calls for providing legal identity for all by 2030.

Following the African CRVS Day, the country will host CRVS Week, a nationwide awareness campaign designed to encourage timely registration of all vital events. Activities will include community dialogues, media outreach, mobile registration services, and interactive sessions with local leaders to ensure that citizens understand the benefits of early and accurate registration.

By reinforcing the importance of CRVS, Rwanda aims to achieve universal legal identity, improve service delivery, strengthen statistical systems, and enhance evidence-based policymaking  ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and equitable society.