Many individuals across Africa have difficulty in asserting their rights because they are unable to access identity documents that prove that they are citizens. Putting in place barriers to accessing documents that prove nationality is far more common than explicit denial of nationality, but it can be just as damaging. Those without access to identification as nationals may be denied freedom of movement, access to education and land and other rights.
The barriers to accessing proof of citizenship may take the form of administrative obstacles. For example, in Swaziland, non-ethnic Swazis often experience lengthy processing delays in accessing documentation. In Kenya, a constitutional review process in 2002 heard numerous complaints from members of marginalised ethnic groups such as the Somalis and Nubians of being forced to face burdensome screening procedures not applied to other Kenyans in order to get access to national ID cards or passports. One of the most common causes of lack of identification as a citizen on attaining adulthood, whether of the state of residence or of another state, is the failure of state authorities to ensure birth registration and the issue of birth certificates to every child born in the territory, including children of refugees.
The UN conventions on refugees and on stateless persons, as well as the Organisation of African Unity Convention governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, provide for states to issue identity and travel documents to refugees (Article 27 of both the Conventions relating to the status of Refugees and of Stateless Persons, Article 13 of the OAU Refugee Convention). The same requirement is placed on states in relation to internally displaced persons by the UN Guiding Principles on IDPs and the Kampala Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Principle 20 and Article 13 respectively). UNHCR issued guidance on such documents in 1984. However, in practice, these documents may not be freely given, may not be recognised by all national authorities, or may be made available only if refugees accept restrictions on their freedom of movement.
In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. Target 16.9 of the SDGs is “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration”. The World Bank has taken up this idea in its initiative “identification for development” (ID4D).
Par Ayi Renaud Dossavi (Togo First) – Au Togo, depuis décembre 2024 où la digitalisation des demandes de certificat de nationalité a été opérationnalisée à mars 2026, un volume de 165 657 dossiers a été enregistré. Ce bilan a été […]
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 […]
O Serviço de Investigação Criminal (SIC) deteve, no centro de apoio ao utente instalado na marginal de Luanda, mais de 50 cidadãos oriundos da República Democrática do Congo (RDC) que pretendiam obter passaporte angolano usando bilhetes de identidade (B.I) falsificados. […]
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 Gift Friday Noah in Juba In 2016, deadly conflict reached Wau town, north-western South Sudan, where 49-year-old pharmacist Michael Angelo Ufo and his family had called home for years, forcing them to flee to White Nile State in Sudan […]
By Brian Kimani The government could soon establish an official register of stateless persons living in Kenya under proposed amendments to the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act. The proposal is contained in the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2025, […]
By Brenda Wanga The deafening silence from the government continues to echo days after revelations of abuse of processes to issue Kenyan passports to members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Ministry of Interior and the Department of Immigration […]
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 Brenda Wanga A leaked internal document from the Directorate of Immigration Services reveals a shocking trend by President William Ruto’s administration to dish out Kenyan passports to foreign individuals for what can only be perceived as private and personal […]
Kenya’s digital identity ecosystem has been promoted as transformative, a manifestation of the kind of digital public infrastructure that should streamline services, secure personal data, and ensure every citizen can access the state through a unified digital identity, guaranteeing inclusion […]
Monrovia — A delegation of the All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship (ALCOD) has praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for what it described as a transparent, professional, and efficient ordinary passport issuance process for Liberians holding dual citizenship, following a […]
Par Godfrey AKPA Au Togo, l’obtention de certains documents d’identité – passeports ou casiers judiciaires – se fait désormais plus rapidement grâce à la digitalisation des services de l’état civil et de l’identité nationale. Selon les autorités, cette réforme vise […]