Officially launched this Thursday in the municipality of Gandiaye, the "Civil Status at Home" program aims to remove a major obstacle in Senegal: thousands of people still live without legal identity, deprived of their most basic rights.

“Without a birth certificate, there is no school. Without civil status, there are no rights,” Matar Ndao, Director General of the National Civil Status Agency (ANEC), reminded local authorities and the people of the Ngothie district.

The absence of civil status excludes, in effect, essential services such as education, health or social protection, thus hindering access to full and complete citizenship.

Faced with this situation, the government, under the leadership of President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, has undertaken a profound transformation of the system. The "Civil Registry at Home" program is implementing concrete actions: raising community awareness, training civil servants in secure digital tools, the "Sama Civil Registry" online platform, and the distribution of satellite kits to isolated municipalities. Regularization operations have begun in Dya and will continue in all municipalities of the district.

However, difficulties remain. These are linked to fraud, poorly organized archives, low birth registration rates in rural areas, and limited access to services. These constitute structural obstacles.

To address this, ANEC is preparing the national civil registration conference next August, in order to develop sustainable solutions. "Make civil registration a priority. It is a right, but also a civic duty," declared Mr. Ndao, praising the commitment of the young volunteers and elected officials.

With "Civil status at home", Senegal is trying to catch up on a crucial delay in guaranteeing every citizen a secure legal identity.