Africa has one of the largest stateless populations in the world, however governments have only recently started to recognize it as a serious problem. By Ineke Mules In the Kiambaa area on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, it’s not…
By Dominique Nouvian Ouattara A name, an official identity, and a nationality recognised by everyone: most of us take these things for granted. Yet, for nearly a quarter-billion children around the world, including tens of millions in sub-Saharan Africa, such…
Dual citizenship is illegal in a number of African countries. Authoritarian leaders regard people with a second nationality as potentially dangerous with their “foreign” ideas, analysts say. Several African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania and…
Par Dominique Ouattara Dominique Ouattara est l’épouse d’Alassane Ouattara, président de la République de Côte d’Ivoire. Anciennement chef d’entreprise, elle se consacre aux activités de sa Fondation Children of Africa depuis l’élection de son époux, ainsi qu’au Fonds d’appui aux…
Dated May 2018; published 7 December 2018 Extract (pp.63-64): 6.6 Stateless persons The right to a nationality is a fundamental right recognised under international law. Nevertheless forcibly displaced persons are affected disproportionately by the problem of statelessness, especially women and…
Bronwen Manby takes us through her new book Citizenship in Africa: The Law of Belonging. In an important contribution to the literature on statehood, citizenship and identity in Africa, this piece highlights the importance of formal legal frameworks and contests over citizenship…
Highlights from Africa: On 25 and 26 October, UNHCR organized the annual “Nationality and Statelessness Moot Court Competition and Conference” in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The competition and conference aims to raise awareness and strengthen knowledge on nationality and statelessness among future…
Decision No. 002/2018; adopted at the 31st Ordinary Session of the ACERWC, May 2018; published 29 November 2018. IV: Decision of the Committee 104. For the foregoing reasons, the Committee finds that the Respondent State is in violation of its…
The Communication concerns Ms Iman Hassan Benjamin who was not able to attend her university education due to lack of national identity card, and further becomes stateless. She was denied an identity card because her late father would have become…
Addis Ababa, 18 November 2018 (ECA) – The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Omidyar Network have announced a partnership to establish legal digital identities in Africa. The partnership, will go towards ECA’s support to the African Union Commission…