Philomene Nyirambabazi believed all her five children were properly registered after birth. But when the resident of Nyamugari Cell in Gasaka Sector, Nyamagabe District took them for photographs as part of the ongoing digital identity registration exercise, she discovered that her youngest child, an eight-year-old, had never been registered in the civil registration system.

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She was directed to the cell office, where the child was registered and given a number to proceed with digital ID registration.

"I thought all my children had been registered, but it turned out that some were not. The civil registration services they brought closer to us have been very helpful,” Nyirambabazi said.

She is among citizens who have used the ongoing civil registration exercise to register children, correct errors in their records and access other services.

The exercise was held as Rwanda marked African Civil Registration Day and officially launched Civil Registration Week under the theme "Proper civil registration, the foundation of quality services.”

The week is intended to help citizens who have not accessed civil registration services, including those who have not registered their children, while also allowing people to correct errors in their existing records.

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The activity also included photographing citizens for the Single Digital ID, with local authorities assisting residents to resolve issues identified in their civil registration records.

Minister of Local Government Dominique Habimana, who was in Nyamagabe to officially launch civil registration week, said accurate civil registration is essential for both citizens and national development.

"For us to achieve the development we aspire to, the country needs to have a clear record of its population and accurate demographic statistics,” Habimana said.

He said such information enables government to properly plan for infrastructure and public services, including schools, health facilities, water and electricity, as well as settlement planning.

Rwanda has also digitised several civil registration services to make them easier and faster to access.

Citizens can obtain documents through Irembo platform without having to travel long distances or spend a full day at government offices.

Birth and death registration services are provided at health facilities and cell offices free of charge, while an electronic system known as e-Death Notification allows village leaders to report deaths electronically.

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Habimana encouraged citizens and local leaders to make use of the system.

Other civil registration services, including marriage registration, child recognition and establishing parentage, are provided at sector level and at Rwandan embassies abroad.

The minister also encouraged couples living together without being legally married to approach local authorities and formalise their union, saying this has benefits for the couples, their children and the family as a whole.

The ongoing exercise has also enabled residents to identify errors in information already contained in the civil registration system.

Rafael Munyaneza, a resident of Kabacuzi Village in Nyamagabe Cell, brought two of his children to be photographed for the digital ID when he discovered errors in their records.

One child had been recorded as having been born in Gitega Sector, Nyarugenge District, while the other had an incorrect date of birth.

The errors were corrected within minutes before the children were photographed.

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Munyaneza said he understood that having accurate personal information in the system makes it easier to access key services, including those related to marriage and property transactions.

"When your civil registration records are in order, it speeds up every service you need related to civil registration,” he said.

The activities were held in Nyamagabe, which was recognised as the best-performing district nationally in civil registration services during the 2025/26 financial year.

The district scored 95.4 percent, followed by Nyarugenge with 95.3 percent, Gicumbi at 94.7 percent, Gakenke at 94.6 percent and Ruhango at 93.8 percent.

The ranking was based on districts’ average performance in birth registration, death registration and verbal autopsy between July 2025 and July 2026.

Minister Habimana presented Nyamagabe Mayor Hildebrand Niyomwungeri with an award recognising the district’s performance.

Niyomwungeri attributed the result to awareness campaigns and efforts by residents and local officials to improve access to civil registration services.

He, however, said limited access to digital technology and internet connectivity sometimes delay services, while some cases require citizens to go through the justice system.

He said the district would continue working to address the challenges and improve service delivery.