Not all African countries require their citizens to carry a national identity card, but the number is rapidly increasing. ECOWAS Member States have committed to introduce a common-form biometric identity card by 2017. The introduction of these new systems may be based on concerns for national security or to improve delivery of public services: but for these aims to be achieved, law and procedures must ensure that people are not arbitrarily excluded from acquiring these documents.
Every citizen should have the right to a passport, enabling international travel, which should not be removed except following due process of law (for example, from a person accused of a serious crime).
Only some African countries establish an independent judicial procedure for a person to obtain a “certificate of nationality” or alternative document that is conclusive proof that a person is a national.
THE Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS) has moved to dispel allegations that Namibian citizenship and national documents are being issued arbitrarily to foreign nationals who do not qualify. In a media release issued by MHAISS Executive […]
In the remote, rural regions of Elliotdale, Eastern Cape, the Nosintu Gwebindlala Foundation is combating generational statelessness by ‘walking the journey’ of securing IDs and birth certificates with residents. By Tamsin Metelerkamp In the deep rural regions of Elliotdale in […]
In this fourth part of the Project Profile investigation into the use of biometrics in the humanitarian sector in Kenya, Naipanoi Lepapa looks at how the UNHCR’s sharing of biometric data with the Kenyan government led to the violation of […]
UNHCR, UNICEF and African identity officials call for safeguards, CRVS integration and inclusive digital ID systems By Ayang Macdonald African governments must accelerate efforts to provide legal and digital identity to refugees and stateless populations, according to speakers at the […]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that all passport applications left incomplete for more than two months after initial submission will automatically be cancelled. In a public notice issued on May 15, the Ministry explained that incomplete applications include […]
I. AU TITRE DU MINISTERE DE L’INTERIEUR, DE LA SECURITE PUBLIQUE ET DE L’ADMINISTRATION DU TERRITOIRE 1.1 projet d’ordonnance portant régime de l’état civil au Niger. Le système de l’état civil du Niger a été réorganisé par la loi n° […]
The President Bola Tinubu-led government has directed the immediate withdrawal and deactivation of Nigerian passports held by individuals who have formally renounced their citizenship. The directive was issued by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who ordered the Nigeria Immigration […]
GARISSA, Kenya , Apr 8 2026 (IPS) – In 2006, Amina Saida was only two years old when her parents moved to the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya, near the border with Somalia. The Dadaab refugee complex was established […]
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 Mary Wambui After gathering input from communities across the Coast, Northern Kenya, and Nairobi, Namati Kenya has developed a set of proposed amendments to the Citizenship and Immigration Bill (2025). In a memorandum submitted to the Clerk of the […]
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 […]