After a two-year enquiry carried out by the civil status registration office for the West region dubbed, reports show more than 56,000 persons in 6 Divisions in the West region of Cameroon have no birth certificate.

According to Bunec, forms were sent to sanitary centres, tribunals and to civil registrar offices in order to collect data on requests made to obtain a birth certificate.

The chief of the Bunec West regional office, Seraphine Kenko Ngankam says the situation is rampant in the Noun and the Bamboutos Divisions where 36,388 and 14,000 persons have no birth certificate respectively.

Some of the reasons that account for this situation are ignorance on the part of the population and parents who are less interested in obtaining one for them or their children.

The parents there are reported to believe a birth certificate is meant only for a child that goes to school and as such, they give more importance to farm works that requires no birth certificate for admission.