The digital transformation is reshaping how Rwandans register life events, making services faster, more accurate, and accessible to all. Marie Solange Kayisire, the Minister of State for Local Government highlighted the role of digitisation during the national launch of the Civil Registration Week in Muganza Sector, Nyaruguru District on August 12. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s Digital ID: Iris scans, fingerprints help recovery when lost The launch was a celebration of Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day, which is being observed under a theme ‘Digital CRVS: A Foundation for Quality and Inclusive Service Delivery’. “All civil registration records are now digital, and services have been brought closer to the people, Kayisire said. Newborns and people who die in hospitals are registered there right away, while events outside hospitals are registered at the cell level, free of charge. Civil registration services are also available at the sector level and in Rwandan embassies abroad. ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda’s digital civil registration system Kayisire also noted that requesting documents such as birth or death certificates no longer requires taking time off work or travelling long distances. “Through Irembo online platform, citizens can now access these documents from home. Rwanda is developing a digital national ID system (e-Indangamuntu) that will integrate civil registration data, store it securely, and link it to other government systems for faster service delivery.” The Minister linked these advances to the decentralisation policy, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, crediting citizens and local leaders for their role in making services more accessible. She urged those who have not registered births or deaths to do so and encouraged couples living together without legal marriage to formalise their unions and recognise their children. The launch event also recognised top performing districts in the 2024–2025 CRVS performance review. Nyaruguru District was awarded for emerging as top performer with a score of 96.2 per cent, according to the Ministry of Local Government. Gicumbi District came second with 96.1 per cent, while Gakenke followed in third place at 95 per cent. Nyarugenge (93.7%) and Ngoma (93.2%) rounded out the top five. While Nyabihu ranked lowest with 77 per cent, followed by Ngororero (86.1%) and Nyamasheke (87.3%). Officials said targeted support will be provided to underperforming districts to help them improve in the next cycle. Emmanuel Murwanashyaka, the mayor of Nyaruguru, said the district’s success stemmed from strong community-based coordination. “We start from the village level, where it’s easy to identify a newborn, someone who has died, or people who live in unofficial unions -- information you can only know when you’re on the ground,” he explained. “From there, details are passed on to cell officials, making it much easier to gather and compile accurate data.” The CRVS Week, observed across Africa from August 11 to 15, aims to raise awareness about the importance of reliable and inclusive civil registration systems. Officials stressed that these systems are critical for establishing legal identity, ensuring access to services, informing policy, and protecting the rights of all citizens. Patrick Nshimiyimana, the Population Registers Specialist at the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, said that the the CRVS ranking aims to encourage healthy competition between districts while pinpointing areas that require improvement. “CRVS performance at the district level is determined by the proportion of children whose births are registered within the legally required 30-day period, comparing these figures against the total births reported by health facilities and community health workers,” said Nshimiyimana. “Other metrics include the proportion of deaths registered, ideally with the cause of death, as well as the registration of civil marriages and divorces. Timeliness and completeness of reporting are central to high scores.” Nshimiyimana also said birth registration makes up the largest share in CRVS data, and timely birth registration is often the major performance driver. He emphasised that accurate death registration helps identify leading causes of mortality in different regions, guiding interventions. “When people register a death and its cause, it helps us understand what is causing death in different parts of the country and what’s needed to address it. Registering a newborn ensures they can access vaccines and have full rights as citizens.” Citizens who have use the new digital services said they saved time and money that could have been spent if they had visited administrative offices. “For years, my documents had different spellings of my name, said Claudette Uwimana, a resident of Nyabihu District. That caused me so many problems when I was doing my senior three national exams, whose also came with a different spelling and everyone said I would have more issues when during senior six national exams.” “With the new digital system, I was finally able to correct everything in one place. Now all my papers match, and I know for sure this saved me a lot of time and money,” Uwimana said.
