Not all African countries require their citizens to carry a national identity card, but the number is rapidly increasing. ECOWAS Member States have committed to introduce a common-form biometric identity card by 2017. The introduction of these new systems may be based on concerns for national security or to improve delivery of public services: but for these aims to be achieved, law and procedures must ensure that people are not arbitrarily excluded from acquiring these documents.
Every citizen should have the right to a passport, enabling international travel, which should not be removed except following due process of law (for example, from a person accused of a serious crime).
Only some African countries establish an independent judicial procedure for a person to obtain a “certificate of nationality” or alternative document that is conclusive proof that a person is a national.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs controls and supervises issuing of birth certificates. The denial by the government to issue the minor the birth certificate has culminated in a landmark court case where the…
“Government has been forced to agree to issue national identity cards and birth certificates for free,” MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said yesterday.“However, this is for a period of 90 days.“We urge all people, especially the so-called aliens to take advantage…
The Registrar General’s Office has begun the national mobile registration for people to acquire identity documents as part of preparations for next year’s harmonised elections.The department is focusing on registration of national identity cards, births and deaths certificates. The mobile…
Staff Writer HARARE – The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has said metal identity cards will be accepted during the biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise. This comes after Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede said only holders of machine readable plastic identity cards will…
By Victor Kiprop Kenya has rolled out the East African Community (EAC) electronic passport, 17 years after discussions to develop the document began. The new generation e-passport, which conforms to the international civil standards, replaces the existing national document, set…
Tendai Kamhungira HARARE – Opposition parties have petitioned the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), challenging Registrar-General (RG) Tobaiwa Mudede’s pronouncement that metal identity cards (IDs) will not be used in the voter registration process ahead of the 2018 elections. Coalescing under…
By Fungi Kwaramba HARARE – Government’s announcement that it is phasing out metal identity cards (IDs) has caused panic among civic society and the opposition movement as they fear this could displace millions of voters ahead of next year’s eagerly-awaited…
Raziah Athman with Laudes Martial Mbon The Congolese government on Thursday destroyed thousands of decommissioned passports, too old to meet current technological standards. The destruction was ordered by court, that ruled the diplomatic travel documents did not contain a chip…
Habakkuk Trust has held advocacy workshops to educate communities in Matopo district on how they can get identity particulars. BY SHARON SIBINDI Dumisani Nkomo, founder of the Trust, said they decided to roll out the programme because they had realised…
By Zakariyya Adaramola The National Identity Management Commission [NIMC] has warned that any Nigerian without the National Identification Number [NIN] runs the risk of being regarded as a foreigner. The NIMC’s Director General Engr. Aliyu Aziz who gave the warning…