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.
By Archangel Nzangaya A 22-year-old Zimbabwean national, Daryl Berry Edwards, has been fined and ordered for immediate deportation by the Blantyre Central Magistrate Court after pleading guilty to charges of obtaining Malawian identity documents through false declarations. The case stems […]
By Christopher Kiiza Adoptive parents in Uganda are calling on the government to urgently reform the country’s national identification system, which they say discriminates against children without known biological parents. Through the Adoptive Parents Initiative (API)—a platform that brings together […]
by Nyantee S. Togba MONROVIA — The Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), in collaboration with the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), has launched a biometric registration exercise aimed at issuing resident permits to 269 former Ivorian refugees who have […]
By Ishmael F. Menkor Hundreds of frustrated citizens and government workers have called on the National Identification Registry (NIR) and the Government of Liberia to open additional National ID card enrollment centers in Nimba County, as the only operational center […]
CHOI – Dual citizenship and statelessness have emerged as contentious issues among residents of Choi and Kongola. They raised serious concerns over national identity, legal status and access to government benefits. Community members voiced frustration on Monday during a civil-military […]
The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, has declared the agency’s ambitious plan to register 95% of Nigerians into the National Identity Database before December 2025. Speaking during a briefing in Abuja, Coker-Odusote said the goal […]
Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 May 2025 (ECA) – In many parts of Africa, lacking legal identity means being shut out of the system, unable to access healthcare, attend school, secure a job or claim legal protection. “We saw it clearly during […]
By: Jankey Ceesay Presenting The Gambia’s report to the Ecowas Parliament 2025 First Ordinary Session in Abuja, Hon. Alhagie S. Darboe, on behalf of the Gambian delegation revealed that approximately 94% of the more than 600 residents are at significant […]
The Department of Home Affairs has this morning successfully launched its rollout of Smart IDs for naturalised citizens and permanent residents from visa exempt countries. The system is stable and we are encouraged by the scale of uptake by clients. […]
It’s important that individuals understand their rights and responsibilities in the digital age by Cecilia Maundu Across Africa, governments are rapidly rolling out digital ID systems to improve service delivery, foster economic inclusion, and enhance security. From Kenya’s Maisha Namba […]
“My mother was a citizen, yet I cannot get an ID” says Emmanuel Ndlovu By Kimberly Mutandiro After achieving six distinctions in his matric exams, Emmanuel Ndlovu planned to go to university and become a doctor. But this has been […]
EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 147 […] NOW THEREFORE, l, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, hereby order: Section 1. Mandatory Enrolment and issuance to all qualified Citizens/Residents and Use of the National Identification Cards to Access All […]