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 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 […]
Implementation of the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2.0 Extracts relevant to Africa: Action 1. Resolve major situations of statelessness In May, Kenya’s parliamentary committee submitted the draft Amendment Bill to the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act to the […]
By Xolile Mtembu Earlier this year, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber sounded the alarm on what he described as a ‘silent crisis’ gripping the country, as millions of South Africans continue to live without identity documents. This quandary has only […]
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and Niger authorities today officially launched the Global Alliance to End Statelessness in the West African country. Launched globally in October 2024, this multi-stakeholder initiative brings together governments, United Nations agencies, civil society, regional organizations, […]
Mogadishu, (SONNA) – Somalia today joined the rest of the continent in marking the 8th Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day, under the theme “Civil Registration as the Foundation of Africa’s Legal Identity Infrastructure and Digital Systems.” […]
Civil registration as the foundation for digital public infrastructure and digital legal identity systems in Africa On 10 August 2025, we will welcome the eighth consecutive commemoration of Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day, on which occasion governments, civil […]
Stateless since birth, she was called a “border hopper” by Home Affairs officials By Tania Broughton Primrose Modisane, who has endured a life of statelessness and a decades-long battle with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), has finally received her […]
When you are stateless, the question of ‘where you are from’ takes on a whole new meaning “Where Are You REALLY From?” is a podcast series from Global Voices that emerged from a panel at the December 2024 Global Voices […]
By Ayang Macdonald A bill on the identification of natural persons in Madagascar has received the greenlight of the senate in a major boost for the country’s digital transformation agenda. The Senate adopted the text on July 4, days after […]
Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of Chad CEDAW/C/TCD/CO/5 Extracts: Nationality 31. The Committee notes that the 2023 Constitution of Chad recognizes the equal right of women and men to confer their nationality to their children. However, it notes […]