Windhoek and Nkurenkuru, Namibia – Namibia is strengthening its Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system by expanding use of a digital notification platform designed to improve the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of birth and death records.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS), conducted a national eNotification training with support from the Global Grants Program’s Data for Health Initiative and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The training brought together 98 health and civil registration personnel from all 14 regions, including Health Information System officers, medical officers, nurses, police officers and civil registration officers. Participants strengthened their skills in navigating the eNotification platform, recording births and deaths, completing death registration processes, ensuring data quality and conducting basic data analysis.
Accurate and timely birth and death data are essential for understanding population trends, identifying leading causes of death and planning health and social services. By improving how vital events are captured and reported, the eNotification platform will help ensure that decision-makers have reliable information to guide policy, allocate resources and monitor national development priorities.
Strengthening coordination across institutions
The training also provided an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration among MoHSS, MHAISS and the Namibia Statistics Agency, which have interconnected responsibilities within the notification, registration and vital statistics system.
Participants reviewed and harmonised operational procedures, clarified institutional roles and responsibilities, and considered the legal and administrative consequences of incomplete or inaccurate information. These discussions helped build a shared understanding of the entire process, from the initial notification of a birth or death to its formal registration and inclusion in national statistics.
The training further reinforced accountability across the system and highlighted the importance of cooperation among health facilities, civil registration offices, law-enforcement authorities and statistics personnel.
Advancing Namibia’s digital transformation
The national training marks another important step in Namibia’s efforts to modernise civil registration and strengthen the production of high-quality vital statistics.
Continued investment in the capacity of frontline personnel, digital systems and interinstitutional coordination will help ensure that every birth and death is accurately recorded and that causes of death are properly documented.
WHO remains committed to supporting the Government of Namibia in building a more integrated, reliable, and responsive CRVS system, one notification at a time.
