The Minister of Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, yesterday said that the country cannot achieve its development goals without the clear picture of the death and birth rates in the country.

He made the remarks while opening a civil registration workshop that brought together policy-makers and other stakeholders to consolidate efforts to develop viable approaches to improve the civil registration system.

"We need to know how many people are born and die each year. This will enable the Government plan properly. The country cannot plan for people that it does not know,” he said.

He pointed out that it was prudent for concerned players to engage local residents and sensitize them on the significance of availing such data, and accurately.

"Some people are born and die without leaving a trace in any legal records,” he said, adding that this is mainly brought about by lack of awareness on the part of citizens.
Meanwhile, Diane Karusisi, the acting Director General of the National Institute of statistics of Rwanda (NISR), said a weak civil registration system was a challenge to policy-makers.

"The reality is that our country lacks adequate civil registration and vital statistical system, and this complicates the work of policy and decision makers,” she said.

The country is preparing for a new national population census next year. Currently, Rwandans are estimated to be around 10 million.

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