Mortality Surveillance Programme

High quality data about the number of births, deaths and causes of death can help inform policy, resource allocation and other health decisions to prevent avoidable deaths and extend life expectancy. However, few countries in Africa have such data at the national and sub-national levels. A multi-country study showed that from 2010 to 2016 African countries scored an average of 8.3 percent for mortality data accuracy and completeness, as compared to a global average of 46.9 percent for the same period. Thirty-eight (69 percent) of the 55 countries in the continent received a zero score.

In 2019, Africa CDC launched the Africa Mortality Surveillance Programme to support African Union Member States in developing well-functioning and complete civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS), which will include full registration of births, deaths and causes of death occurring inside and outside health facilities. As part of a larger African Union initiative, the programme will strengthen surveillance capacity and enable integration of mortality data systems by all Member States.

Programme Goal

Improve mortality data quality for the African continent.

Objectives

1. Increase the total number of Member States with accurate, sub-nationally representative
   cause of death data.
2. Build country surveillance capacity and support African Union efforts to implement CRVS in all
   African countries.
3. Monitor and evaluate progress in mortality surveillance.