Parents have been urged to register their children as soon as they are born since it is essential in national planning.
The call was made yesterday during a live televised town hall meeting which brought together officials from the Ministry of Local Government, Justice Ministry, the National Institute of Statistics and the National ID Project.

The meeting also came at the official closure of the national statistics week which began on 16th November 2009 that focused on the registration of the new born babies.

"Registering the new born children helps them to benefit from national programmes that are put in place for the children and also gives them the right to be known and legal citizens,” Bourduin Ruterana an official in the National Institute of Statistics said.

He added that the registration was vital since it helps in national planning and also helps local leaders to give good services to those who need them.  The African Statistics Day (ASD) is celebrated every year on the 18th of November.

The day is celebrated each year in order to increase awareness about the important role statistics play in all aspects of social and economic development of in Africa.

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