Benin launches pilot program to register children through testimony

The Agence nationale d’identification des personnes (ANIP) began a pilot program in Benin to register children aged 13 and under using testimony.

The agency started this procedure on November 2, 2026, to help families whose children were never officially recorded in civil registries. Director General Aristide Guy Adjinacou Gnahoui met with local prefects in Pobè to request help in informing families and local officials about the reform.

The agency plans to expand this process across the entire country by the end of November. This initiative follows a campaign in September that provided free birth certificates to children under 14 who had never received them from the agency. The agency is also improving its local services by distributing 165 additional tablets to various districts. These devices help agents update personal information and retrieve personal identification numbers.

Under decree number 2025-679, the government allows these registrations for children under 14 based on testimony and a request from the public prosecutor.