Mozambique records around two million births each year, but officials register only approximately 200,000 children, Adilson Gomes, chairperson of the Digital Transformation and Innovation Agency (ATDI), said. The agency is calling for expanded civil registration, linking access to registration with better state planning.
The Registration Gap
Gomes spoke at the opening of the first "Design Lab on Digital Service Delivery in Mozambique." He proposed using the country's approximately 1,900 health facilities and 11,500 primary schools to expand access to registration. The plan would put health centres and schools at the heart of efforts to bring registration services closer to communities.
The proposal calls for installing computers with internet access at health centres, training staff and creating a single platform to capture registrations. Gomes said these steps could reduce barriers to access. The figures he gave show the scale of the challenge: around two million births each year, but approximately 200,000 children registered.
The proposal would use existing health facilities and primary schools as points of access, rather than rely only on a centralized service pathway. That's the agency's proposed route to wider registration.
A Redesigned Service
Gomes said digital transformation should involve more than computerizing existing procedures. He called for reorganizing how the state delivers services, putting citizens at the centre. His proposal covers both digital tools and changes to service delivery.
He also called for stronger interoperability between systems, digital identity and digital payments. The stated aim is to let citizens start and complete procedures digitally, including in remote areas. The source doesn't provide a budget, a timetable for installing equipment, or a target for additional registrations.
The Design Lab will move through five stages. First, it will select priority services, then map existing procedures. Next comes identifying bottlenecks. After that, the lab will design new service pathways and define the responsibilities and actions needed to implement solutions.
Planning the Implementation
The five stages set out how the agency plans to choose services and change their delivery. The process starts by selecting priorities, examines procedures already in place, and identifies bottlenecks before the lab designs new pathways. Its final stage assigns responsibilities and actions for implementation.
The proposal identifies health centres, schools, staff training, internet-connected computers and a single registration platform as elements of expanded access. It also calls for interoperable systems, digital identity and digital payments so citizens can complete procedures digitally, including in remote areas.
ATDI promotes digital transformation and innovation. Gomes presented expanded civil registration as support for better state planning and described a broader redesign of service delivery around citizens. The account doesn't identify private contractors, expected profits, worker or union responses, or a specific government enforcement role. It sets out the agency's proposed service changes and the Design Lab's staged process; implementation responsibilities and actions remain part of the work the lab is to define.