The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, provides that every child shall be registered immediately after birth.
As noted by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, in a General Comment providing comprehensive guidance on the obligations of states, “At a practical level, the greatest obstacle to the effective realization of the right to a nationality in Africa is the lack of functional and universal civil registration systems. In the absence of proof of the circumstances of a child’s birth – both the child’s parentage and place of birth – it is very difficult to ensure that the child obtains recognition of its nationality, whether that of his or her parents, or of the State where he or she is born.”
Rates of birth registration are very low in many sub-Saharan African states. The African Union, UN Economic Commission for Africa, and African Development Bank have collaborated with other international agencies on a major initiative to improve civil registration in Africa, the Africa Programme on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS).
By Patrice Okou AKA In the Tillabéri region of south-west Niger, thousands of displaced children grow up without birth certificates. A lack of information, coupled with the closure of some registration centres, and the remoteness of civil registry offices, mean […]
Extracts on African countries: Action 1. Resolve major situations of statelessness In Kenya, on 5 and 6 December 2025, the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Internal Security, supported by UNHCR and NGO partner Haki Centre, held a public participation exercise […]
By : Segun Dukeh Welcome, dear readers! After months of research delving into Nigerian constitutional law, citizenship frameworks, and identity documentation, combined with years of experience navigating our complex nationality system and observing how Nigerians at home and abroad grapple […]
Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 51st Session of the Universal Periodic Review 4th Cycle Apr-May 2026 Association des femmes chefs de Famille (AFCF), Equality Now, the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights and the Institute on […]
Children from the stateless Rundi community in Kwale County continue to be denied equal access to education due to the lack of legal identification documents, human rights groups have warned. For more than 15 years, the Rundi have sought state […]
By Shaban Omar @Peopledailyke It is a new year, but for Esther Butui Ndambara from Kwale County, there is little to celebrate. For all her 42 years, Ndambara born and raised in Kenya and belonging to the Rundi community, she […]
By Mayeni Jones Many people may take their birth certificate, or similar official papers, for granted – hidden in a drawer and rarely seeing the light of day – but for those without one, it can lead to a shadow […]
Bishop Kortu K. Brown, from the Apostolic Pentecostal Church and Church Aid, Inc., in Liberia reflects below on why ending statelessness is the responsibility of churches, and some actions they can take in that direction. Through Church Aid, Inc., and […]
Cairo, Egypt, 27 November 2025 – The Analysis and Outreach Hub of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (OSRSG CAAC) in Doha, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in […]
By Cassadee Yan Addis Abeba – More than two decades after Ethiopia pledged full gender equality in its nationality law, women continue to face barriers that men rarely encounter. From registering their children’s citizenship to retaining their nationality after marriage, […]
Minority communities in the coastal county of Kwale are calling for greater recognition with demands for inclusion in political appointments, equitable resource distribution and protection of their rights. The minorities said they have endured decades of historical injustices and marginalisation […]
The government is moving forward with the Statelessness Determination and Protection Bill, a legislative effort aimed at addressing statelessness and ensuring that all eligible citizens have a legal identity. Once passed, the Bill will address the issue of statelessness and […]