The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) plans to register 545,000 children under one year in Lagos State by the end of 2025 as part of a national campaign to provide every child with a legal identity.
Celine Lafoucriere, UNICEF Lagos Field Office Chief, announced this during the Birth Registration Multi-Sector Dialogue in Lagos, emphasizing that birth registration is crucial for children to access healthcare, education, and social services.
Despite Lagos achieving a 94% registration rate for children under five, Lafoucriere highlighted that children in hard-to-reach and low-income communities remain unregistered. She urged collaboration across health, education, and social development sectors to address this gap. The dialogue, themed “Every Child Counts:
Accelerating Birth Registration in Lagos State,” involved officials from various ministries, ALGON, civil society, and media, who agreed to develop a state action plan to enhance awareness, integrate registration into health and education systems, and achieve universal coverage by year-end.
