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.
Opposition politician and lawyer Celestine Mukandila has challenged the cancellation of his National Registration Card and passport, maintaining that he is a Zambian citizen by descent and calling on authorities to disclose the legal and evidentiary basis for invalidating his […]
The Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship has cancelled Tonse Alliance general secretary Celestine Mukandila’s Zambian citizenship after determining that his National Registration Card and passport were obtained through fraud, false declaration and misrepresentation. — THE Department of National […]
By Patson Kasongo Stranger than strange is to live among a people, to settle, to labor, to pay tax, to vote, to build schools and churches, and to make yourself believe you are one of them — only to be […]
Recently, Juma Witonze Kisekka, a member of Abavandimwe, was appointed State minister of Internal Affairs, thus getting directions from President Museveni to sort out the citizenship questions that have faced the community. We had an interface with Frank Gashumba, the […]
A civil society activist has called on the Government of South Sudan to provide free nationality identification cards to rural communities ahead of the country’s December 2026 general elections. Wodcan Saviour, the Executive Director of Support Peace Initiative Development Organization […]
(17367/2022) [2026] ZAWCHC 381 (29 July 2026) 1. It is declared that the failure or refusal by the respondents, or either of them, or by officials of the Department of Home Affairs (Department), to receive, process and determine an application […]
On 29 July 2026, a full bench of the Western Cape High Court handed down a significant judgment that removes longstanding barriers to birth registration in South Africa. In Cirangashane and Others v Director General of the Department of Home […]
By Memoscar Lasuba The Government of South Sudan is preparing to overhaul its civil registration system by introducing a nationwide digital registry that will transfer the issuance of birth certificates from hospitals to the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports […]
South Sudan’s identification ecosystem remains severely underdeveloped, limiting individuals’ access to services, economic opportunities, and formal participation. An estimated 90 percent of the population lacks identification, creating barriers to financial inclusion, education, and employment, while undermining service delivery efficiency and […]
Synopsis Nearly 90% of people in South Sudan lack government-recognized ID, limiting access to jobs, aid, finance, and services. The World Bank’s new ID4D diagnostic shows how stronger civil registration and digital ID systems could expand inclusion, protect vulnerable groups, […]
In the recent decision of Minister of Home Affairs and Another v Sakharov (2024-044391) [2026] ZAGPPHC 648 (22 June 2026), the Pretoria High Court had to determine whether the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) could rescind a Court Order directing […]
GMAS along with regional networks has formulated this session on statelessness and digital ID systems from different angles and across regional context, presenting the essential advocacy efforts and ways forward for creating an inclusive future. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKV0n_Jj5wU