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 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 […]
By Ibrahim Mansaray This year’s Sierra Leone-Diaspora Citizenship program has seen a record number of foreigners certified and set to be granted Sierra Leonean citizenship status. The program, which started in 2019 creates a platform for people whose DNA proves […]
We have seen good progress in achieving equality in nationality laws with 19 countries making partial or full legal reforms and making significant commitments at the regional and global levels since Equality Now began in-depth work advocating for the reform […]
By Abdul Rashid Thomas Last Thursday, 28th April, a day after the country celebrated its 61st Independence anniversary, President Bio of Sierra Leone welcomed a group of 59 African Americans to the country and granted them Sierra Leonean citizenship. Although […]
Freetown, State House – 29 April 2022 Ministers of Government, The Chief Immigration Officer, Fellow citizens, especially those with whom we are grateful to be sharing our common ancestral home, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Oona kusheh kusheh kusheh 1. It […]
Abdulai Mansaray In a recent announcement, President Bio declared in a tweet that “Another promise made and delivered! My government has just approved and authorised the Attorney General to lay in parliament a proposed amendment to the constitution of Sierra […]
Upon entering the political space in Sierra Leone, Hon. Alhaji Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella promised to ensure that all Sierra Leoneans living in the Diaspora will have the opportunity to run for Parliamentary and Presidential offices in the country, vote […]
Washington, DC — Jay Cameron, author, playwright, and philanthropist, has been granted Sierra Leonean dual citizenship after tracing his ancestry to the Temne tribe. Bridging the gap between the African diaspora and Africa has become Jay’s main goal since 2018. […]
WASHINGTON, May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — AfricanAncestry.com, the Black-owned pioneers of genetic ancestry tracing for people of African descent, today announced an unprecedented partnership with the Sierra Leone government through the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and its facilitating […]