National laws usually grant nationality to children at birth based on a combination of two principles: the nationality of the parent(s) and the location of birth of the child. All African states provide for a child to acquire nationality based on descent, though some still discriminate on the basis of the sex of the parent.
The laws of around half of the countries in Africa provide automatic citizenship to children born in the territory themselves, or if their parents were also born there, or give the children of non-citizen parents the right to claim nationality if they are still resident there when they reach the age of majority. However, more than 20 countries either make no provision for children born on their territory to claim nationality if they have no other claim to nationality or do so only if the child is of unknown parentage.
The minimum requirement to prevent statelessness among children, required by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, is for national laws to grant nationality to any child born in the territory who would otherwise be stateless. In addition, national laws should provide for children of unknown parents to be presumed to have the nationality of the country where they are found, for adopted children to acquire the nationality of their adoptive parents, and for children whose parents naturalise to acquire nationality at the same time.
In the Western Cape High Court today, 07 September 2017, a judgment was handed down which affirms that children who were born in South Africa to foreign parents are entitled to apply for citizenship, through the South African Citizenship Act…
The Department of Home Affairs is adamant that a Port Elizabeth couple should have their four-year-old foster child registered as a citizen of Lesotho if they want to adopt her – insisting that she would not be recognised as a…
By Estelle Ellis Desperate foster parents want minister jailed as department fails to comply with the law A Port Elizabeth couple – desperate to adopt their much-loved foster child – have asked the high court to jail the minister of…
Adopted by the ACERWC 2016; approved by the AU Executive Council of Ministers, July 2017 Aspiration 3: Every child’s birth and other vital statistics are registered. By 2040 Birth registration is universal, compulsory and free. All legal systems contain an…
The Supreme Court of Sudan reaffirmed the right Sudanese women to confer nationality on their children in a July 6 decision. This important advancement for gender equal nationality rights underscores the need for the country’s Nationality Act to be aligned…
The Sudanese Supreme Court decided on Thursday that Sudanese nationality, which was withdrawn after the secession of South Sudan, must be restored to South Sudanese citizen Adel Burai Ramadan. The court ordered the Ministry of Interior to expedite the process…
The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights joyfully welcomes the passage of Sierra Leone’s amended Citizenship Act, which now guarantees women and men the equal right to confer nationality on children. With this critical reform, only 25 countries remain worldwide…
Jusqu’à l’adoption mercredi de la nouvelle loi sur la nationalité, les femmes de Sierra Leone ne pouvaient transmettre leur nationalité à leurs enfants nés à l’étranger, provoquant des problèmes dans la communauté des expatriés, notamment pour les enfants apatrides. Lire…
The Parliament of Sierra Leone on Wednesday 5th July 2017 amended the bill entitled “The Citizenship Amendment Act 2017”. The bill amends the Citizenship Act of 1973 to take into consideration the amendment made to the Citizenship Act in 2006…
Registrar-General (RG) Tobaiwa Mudede has been taken to the High Court by a Zimbabwe-born British citizen, William Dale Pilbrough, and his family, who are seeking the intervention of the court for the declaration of their rights in terms of their…