1001 Smart Cities
🇬🇼 Bissau

SIREC Digital Civil Registry

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 10 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

10 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

Guinea-Bissau's civil registry went digital at Bissau's 1st Civil Registry Office in January 2025 — but registration had already reached 46 percent through hospital registrars.

Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence📰 Mediagrades the sourcing — this entry states no impact figure
what does this mean?The strongest source is press reporting; no primary evaluation was located. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byGuinea-Bissau Ministry of Justice and Human Rights — Directorate-General for Civil Identification, Registry and Notary
Scale🌍 National
FundingEU-funded GESTDOC project, managed and co-financed by Portugal's Camões institute (system built by the University of Aveiro); rollout supported by UNICEF's Italian-financed birth-registration project and by UNDP

Part of 1001 Smart Cities — 1,216 documented projects · 🏙️ Bissau city profile · 🪪 Digital government guide · 🏛️ Governance projects

Guinea-Bissau launched its Integrated System of Citizen Registers and Statistics (SIREC) at Bissau's 1st Civil Registry Office in January 2025, moving birth, marriage and death registration from paper books to digital records. The University of Aveiro built it under an EU-funded project managed by Portugal's Camões institute; UNICEF and UNDP backed the rollout, in a country where only about 46 percent of children under five had their births registered in 2019. By April 2025 registration was digital at registry posts across Bissau, though paper was still used where the internet failed.

Live 📅 since 2025

🎓 Lesson

Where few births are registered, reaching parents matters more than the database: officials credit the rise in registered young children to 46 percent to registrars working in hospitals and on vaccination campaigns, a gain already reported in 2023, before SIREC launched. The software's stated job is to stop forgery and duplication of records.

🏛️ GovernanceDigital government

Sources

↗ Instituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coveragePublished 28 January 2025Camões' report of the 22–23 January 2025 closing event of the EU-funded GESTDOC project: SIREC was launched at Bissau's 1st Civil Registry Office, the first certificate was issued with it, and the University of Aveiro developed the system, which has birth, marriage and death modules.
↗ Biometric Update — Guinea-Bissau digitizes birth registration and ID systemsPublished 10 June 2025Interview with the Ministry of Justice's head of civil registration at ID4Africa 2025: all births are being registered through SIREC, UNDP trained registry officers after the launch, about 46 percent of children under five are registered, and funding and connectivity are the main obstacles.
↗ UNICEF Guinea-Bissau — birth registration in health servicesPublished 4 September 2025UNICEF story from the birth-registration office of Bissau's Maternity and Child Care Center: cites the 2019 MICS figure of about 46 percent of under-fives registered, and says UNICEF's Italian-financed birth-registration project supports SIREC.
↗ Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to sevenPublished 16 April 2025Lusa report quoting the director-general of civil registration: registration of children up to seven rose from 26 to 46 percent thanks to hospital posts and vaccination campaigns; registration is digital at posts across Bissau, though paper is still used because of internet problems.
↗ Forbes África Lusófona — Guinea-Bissau creates first integrated civil registry systemPublished 21 September 2023Lusa-based report on the 2023 presentation of the digitisation pilot with UNDP: software for births, marriages and deaths, starting in Bissau, in a country where the rate for children up to seven had risen from 23 to 46 percent since hospitals began registering.
Show 1 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ UNICEF Guinea-Bissau — Child protection (Proteção da Criança)UNICEF Guinea-Bissau programme page: in 2025, 40,306 children received free birth certificates, 8,760 before their first birthday, from sixty health facilities during the transition to SIREC.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2025. 5 of 6 sources carry a publication date, from 21 September 2023 to 4 September 2025.

When the sources were published

  1. Forbes África Lusófona · pressForbes África Lusófona — Guinea-Bissau creates first integrated civil registry system
  2. Camões — Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua · national governmentInstituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coverage
  3. Notícias ao Minuto · pressNotícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to seven
  4. Biometric Update · pressBiometric Update — Guinea-Bissau digitizes birth registration and ID systems
  5. UNICEF · international organisationUNICEF Guinea-Bissau — birth registration in health services

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Entered the record
  2. Sources last read

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 10 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence file · public beta 10 addressable claims, 6 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The file is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 10

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-8ee429241e1c895e quantitative
Guinea-Bissau launched its Integrated System of Citizen Registers and Statistics (SIREC) at Bissau's 1st Civil Registry Office in January 2025
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Camões reports that the launch ceremony of SIREC took place at Bissau's 1st Civil Registry Office during the GESTDOC closing event of 22–23 January 2025, where the first certificate was issued with the system.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Instituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coverage
Claim 2 clm-c369436adafcf105 descriptive
moving birth, marriage and death registration from paper books to digital records
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Camões describes SIREC as an application with birth, marriage and death modules that allows civil registration to move from paper to digital.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Instituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coverage
Claim 3 clm-4fe2b40129878867 descriptive
The University of Aveiro built it under an EU-funded project managed by Portugal's Camões institute
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Camões names the University of Aveiro as the developer of SIREC and states that GESTDOC is financed by the European Union and managed and co-financed by Camões.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Instituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coverage
Claim 4 clm-8b1e19fb0b6bde96 descriptive
UNICEF and UNDP backed the rollout
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The head of civil registration told Biometric Update that UNDP trained registry officers after the launch and that UNICEF, UNDP and the University of Aveiro support the work; UNICEF says its Italian-financed birth-registration project supports SIREC.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Biometric Update — Guinea-Bissau digitizes birth registration and ID systems
  2. UNICEF Guinea-Bissau — birth registration in health services
Claim 5 clm-3c4def2168c6c095 quantitative
in a country where only about 46 percent of children under five had their births registered in 2019
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
UNICEF cites the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey: only about 46 percent of children under five have their births registered.
Caveat
The 46 percent is a 2019 survey figure for children under five; officials quoted in 2025 use the same number for children up to seven.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. UNICEF Guinea-Bissau — birth registration in health services
Claim 6 clm-1c25470ca461fbc8 quantitative
By April 2025 registration was digital at registry posts across Bissau
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
In April 2025 the director-general of civil registration said registration was digitised at several posts, naming Bissau Velho and the Missira, Antula, Militar and Plack 2 neighbourhoods, all in Bissau, and that all of Bissau's registry offices were digitising records.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to seven
Claim 7 clm-8451c180ccb297da descriptive
though paper was still used where the internet failed
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The same official said registrations are still made on paper despite the digital equipment, because of the country's internet difficulties.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to seven
Claim 8 clm-ddf72d1b528376ca quantitative
officials credit the rise in registered young children to 46 percent to registrars working in hospitals and on vaccination campaigns
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The director-general attributes the rise to 46 percent to hospital posts registering newborns and to registry staff accompanying the Ministry of Health's vaccination campaigns.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to seven
Claim 9 clm-0bfd759e5742088b quantitative
a gain already reported in 2023, before SIREC launched
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
A September 2023 report already gave the rate for children up to seven as having risen to 46 percent since hospitals began registering births; SIREC was launched in January 2025.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Forbes África Lusófona — Guinea-Bissau creates first integrated civil registry system
  2. Instituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coverage
Claim 10 clm-a3f3b3bf1841ef31 descriptive
The software's stated job is to stop forgery and duplication of records
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The director-general says digitising the documents prevents falsification and duplication.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to seven
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-10-13-baseline effective 2026-10-13 · created 2026-10-13

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:80d98573d02950721561ee502a1471869a519d10a20a98759abd194f783b0ea8
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
10
of 10 claims mapped
6
source dossiers
5
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Justice and Human Rights — Directorate-General for Civil Identification, Registry and Notary
Actor types
national-government
Funding model
grant
Funding description
EU-funded GESTDOC project, managed and co-financed by Portugal's Camões institute (system built by the University of Aveiro); rollout supported by UNICEF's Italian-financed birth-registration project and by UNDP
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

6 source dossiers

Instituto Camões — SIREC launch ceremony coverage instituto-camoes.pt · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-4490b7d3a08af74d
Publisher
Name not classified · instituto-camoes.pt
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-01-28
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-13
Dossier created
2026-10-13
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Camões' report of the 22–23 January 2025 closing event of the EU-funded GESTDOC project: SIREC was launched at Bissau's 1st Civil Registry Office, the first certificate was issued with it, and the University of Aveiro developed the system, which has birth, marriage and death modules.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Biometric Update — Guinea-Bissau digitizes birth registration and ID systems biometricupdate.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-2f0ddded1f22c5ae
Publisher
Name not classified · biometricupdate.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-06-10
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-13
Dossier created
2026-10-13
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Interview with the Ministry of Justice's head of civil registration at ID4Africa 2025: all births are being registered through SIREC, UNDP trained registry officers after the launch, about 46 percent of children under five are registered, and funding and connectivity are the main obstacles.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
UNICEF Guinea-Bissau — birth registration in health services unicef.org · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-770b04ff6e9b6d44
Publisher
Name not classified · unicef.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-09-04
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-13
Dossier created
2026-10-13
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

UNICEF story from the birth-registration office of Bissau's Maternity and Child Care Center: cites the 2019 MICS figure of about 46 percent of under-fives registered, and says UNICEF's Italian-financed birth-registration project supports SIREC.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) — Guinea-Bissau raises registration of children up to seven noticiasaominuto.com · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-a6e79336f89b77c7
Publisher
Name not classified · noticiasaominuto.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-04-16
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-13
Dossier created
2026-10-13
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Lusa report quoting the director-general of civil registration: registration of children up to seven rose from 26 to 46 percent thanks to hospital posts and vaccination campaigns; registration is digital at posts across Bissau, though paper is still used because of internet problems.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Forbes África Lusófona — Guinea-Bissau creates first integrated civil registry system forbesafricalusofona.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-3d69ee0efc294d4f
Publisher
Name not classified · forbesafricalusofona.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2023-09-21
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-13
Dossier created
2026-10-13
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Lusa-based report on the 2023 presentation of the digitisation pilot with UNDP: software for births, marriages and deaths, starting in Bissau, in a country where the rate for children up to seven had risen from 23 to 46 percent since hospitals began registering.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
UNICEF Guinea-Bissau — Child protection (Proteção da Criança) unicef.org · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-ccf674669c45c80a
Publisher
Name not classified · unicef.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-13
Dossier created
2026-10-13
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

UNICEF Guinea-Bissau programme page: in 2025, 40,306 children received free birth certificates, 8,760 before their first birthday, from sixty health facilities during the transition to SIREC.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Known limits of this file
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇬🇦 Gabon's Electronic National ID Card (CNIE) & NIP Rollout · Libreville Two 2024-25 African digital-ID pushes: Gabon's chip CNIE began in Libreville, Guinea-Bissau's SIREC digitised birth registers in Bissau. 🇳🇬 Lagos State Residents Register and the LAG-ID Card · Lagos Both digitise civil identity at very different scale: Lagos's LASRRA has enrolled millions since 2011, Bissau's SIREC went digital in 2025. 🇹🇬 WURI Biometric Social Safety Program · Lomé Two donor-backed West African ID drives in 2025: Togo's WURI biometric number vs Guinea-Bissau's SIREC digital birth registry.

Explore the wider context

💸 The Price Nobody Publishes📖 Civic participation platform📖 Digital identity📖 Government super-app
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “SIREC Digital Civil Registry” — Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/bissau-biometric-registry/ (last verified 2026-10-13). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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