In Ghana, burying the dead without registering the death is an offence punishable by law, according to Acting Registrar of Births and Deaths, Samuel Adom Botchway.

“In Ghana, people who take death registration seriously are often those working in the formal sector, maybe for some SSNIT benefits or claims somewhere. But it is an offence for somebody to die without the family registering the person and obtaining a burial permit,”

Mr Botchway told GBC News in Bolgatanga after an engagement with staff of the registry in the Upper East Region.

According to him, the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027) requires that every death in the country be registered with the Births and Deaths Registry.

The law stipulates that registration must be done within 10 days of the death, and any registration after this period attracts a late registration fee.

“The Ministry is working on the Births and Deaths Act because there is a portion that’s a bit challenging. We are working on that, but we want Ghanaians to understand that it is an offence not to register somebody who has died. When somebody dies, we should follow the necessary process and register the death,” he said.

During the engagement with registration officers across the Upper East Region, it emerged that disposing of a body without a burial permit can result in fines.

The Births and Deaths Registry is responsible for ensuring compliance with these regulations, and the law outlines specific procedures and penalties for non-compliance.