The Africa Programme for Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS) since its inception in 2012, has been the continent’s flagship initiative for strengthening Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems in Africa. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in raising the political profile of CRVS, developing technical resources, and fostering a community of practice.
The year 2026 marks a critical phase for CRVS systems in Africa. It signals the end of the first APAI-CRVS Decade (2017-2026) and the final five-year push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including universal legal identity target 16.9.
As we approach the final years of the Sustainable Development Goals and the APAI-CRVS Decade (2017-2026), it is imperative to reflect on the progress made, consolidate the gains, and chart a strategic course for the next decade.
This Expert Group Meeting for Registrar Generals is the designated platform to consolidate the hard-won gains of the past, to build momentum as we prepare for the sixth Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (COM6) into concrete action, and operationalize the African eCRVS Shared Asset (ACSA) .
The overall objective of the 2026 EGMRG is to build a collective path forward for the new CRVS decade by consolidating the gains of APAI-CRVS, accelerating the implementation of high-impact strategies, and ensuring CRVS systems are resilient, inclusive, and sustainable pillars of legal identity and governance across Africa.