Citizenship in Sierra Leone is governed by the 1973 Citizenship Act, which was amended in 2006 to grant the right of dual citizenship and equal rights to citizenship through the mother for children born in Sierra Leone; this was extended to children born outside the country in 2017. However, the law continues to discriminate on the basis of race, providing since 1962 that citizenship by birth is acquired only from a parent who “is or was of Negro-African descent.”
In 2011, the government of Sierra Leone reported to the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review for Sierra Leone that it accepted that the racial discrimination in the 1973 Citizenship Act was problematic and pledged to include the issue in the upcoming constitutional review process.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern in 2008 over the lack of a systematic birth registration system; in 2016, the Committee urged the government to “continue its efforts to register all children, especially those in rural areas”.
By Laura Lambert An estimated 542 million Africans lack identity cards and potentially face statelessness. Without a legal identity, they can be excluded from basic human rights like education, healthcare and protection. Most African countries have tried to rectify this […]
By Emmanuel Nwosu On the storm-scarred hillside of Roseau Valley, Dominica, the tiny Caribbean island nation, a passport is funding a geothermal plant for clean energy. In Basseterre, St. Kitts, it once funded 60–70% of government revenue. In Valletta, Malta, […]
By deciding to open citizenship applications to all people of African descent around the world, Benin became the latest in a growing list of African countries to formerly recognize historical links with the African diaspora. Benin’s 2 September 2024 law […]
By Moustafa Daly, Cairo A month after launching its GO-FOR-GOLD (GFG) Permanent Residency Program, Sierra Leone has introduced fast-track citizenship routes within the same framework. These new pathways give GFG investors direct paths to citizenship in as little as 60 […]
Sierra Leone has introduced fast-track citizenship pathways within its GO-FOR-GOLD (GFG) Permanent Residency Program, offering investors a clear route to citizenship in as little as 60 days. This groundbreaking initiative provides an efficient alternative to the traditional naturalization process, which […]
The Sierra Leone Immigration Department announces today groundbreaking measures aimed at facilitating the naturalization of qualifying high-net-worth foreign national investors and individuals of Sierra Leonean heritage. These measures represent a strategic intent to significantly enhance the nation’s economic and social […]
Sierra Leone Permanent Residency And Citizenship GO-FOR-GOLD A New Way to Quickly & Very Cost-Effectively Secure Sierra Leone Permanent Residency And Citizenship INTERVIEW: How to Design a Residency by Investment Program from Scratch: The Case of Sierra Leone Jason Black […]
GENEVA – More than half a million people around the world who were living in the shadows, deprived of their right to nationality, have now acquired citizenship since the inception a decade ago of the #IBelong campaign, according to a […]
By Emmanuel K Dogbevi Applying for and getting a travel document such as a passport in most African countries can be a traumatic experience for most citizens. Despite advances in technology, which normally should improve service delivery in particular for […]
By Abdul Rashid Thomas Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Memunatu Pratt last week granted Sierra Leonean citizenship to 50 African Americans claiming to have Sierra Leonean roots, in a ceremony held at the National Museum in […]
By Sangita Khadka, Guilherme Larsen, and Risa Arai in UNDP Global Policy Network. Percy Santos, a visually impaired college student in Honduras has acquired a technical degree in computer programming and having a new national ID has been like adding […]
By Alpha Abu Copies of an upgraded version of Sierra Leone’s passport have been presented to President Julius Maada Bio and Vice President Dr.Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. According to State House Communications Unit, Chief Immigration Officer , Andrew Jaiah Kaikai presented […]