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.
By Amanda Lichtenstein Tanzanian citizens have until January 20, 2020, to register their SIM cards through the new biometric registration system launched by the Tanzanian Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) on May 1, 2019. The biometric SIM card registration process means…
Dans la ville de Port Elizabeth, à l’extrémité méridionale de l’Afrique du Sud, le lycée de Phakamisa est situé dans la rue qui a vu grandir le champion de rugby et nouvelle icône nationale, Siya Kolisi. Mais c’est pour une…
By Michele Eken Kenya is home to a blossoming $1 billion technology scene, but a new government-run digital identification program is stirring up controversy with concerns about data privacy and discrimination. As a leader in the tech industry, what happens…
La prévention de l’apatridie chez les migrants et leurs enfants en Afrique du Nord : le rôle des pays d’accueil et des pays d’origine dans l’enregistrement des naissances et la délivrance des documents d’identité : Le cas de l’Égypte et…
Le nombre de naissances enregistrées a nettement augmenté à l’échelle mondiale, et pourtant, 166 millions d’enfants de moins de 5 ans (soit 1 sur 4) ne sont pas déclarés, comme l’indique un nouveau rapport publié aujourd’hui par l’UNICEF à l’occasion de son 73e anniversaire. D’après…
The Strategic Thinkers Network Africa (Stranek-Africa) fears that Ghana’s quest to create a national identification database risks being an exercise in futility. In the group’s view, the exercise which is being carried out by the National Identification Authority (NIA) will…
More than 1,760 birth certificates are lying uncollected at the Huduma centre in Narok town. The Officer in charge of Huduma Centre in Narok county, Ms. Zam Aden is now calling on the residents of Narok to come and pick…
Case summary (extract) 3. The Applicants alleges that, their passports, as well as those of other Rwandan nationals, were unilaterally and without notice declared invalid by the Government of Rwanda. 4. The Applicants alleges that, the invalidation of their passports…
By Robert Tapfumaneyi SURVIVORS of the devastating Cyclone Idai which hit parts of Manicaland, Masvingo and Mashonaland East early this year have been allowed the chance to replace lost identity documents for free. This was confirmed by Registrar General Clemence…
By Kenneth Matimaire Senate deputy president, Retired Lieutenant General Mike Nyambuya said farm workers of foreign descent working within the country are vulnerable to the global challenge of statelessness. Senator Nyambuya made the remarks in his keynote address during the…