It is a key principle of international law that a person has the right to change his or her nationality. This means that it should be possible for someone to acquire citizenship as an adult, by the process known as naturalisation, based on long residence in a country and other conditions. The legal conditions and administrative procedures for naturalisation should not be so restrictive that acquisition is impossible in practice.
The laws of all African countries provide in principle for the acquisition of citizenship by naturalisation. In some countries an easier process, known as “registration”, “declaration”, or “option” is also available, for example, to those who are married to citizens. However, obtaining citizenship by naturalisation is in practice often extremely difficult and highly discretionary, or even subject to the personal control of the head of state.
While international law permits a state to require a person to renounce another nationality before naturalising, this requirement should not apply to persons who have no other nationality – that is, those who are stateless. Most African countries establish no procedures for naturalisation of stateless persons.
By Lucy Mumbi A new Bill before Parliament aims to remove longstanding legal barriers that have denied stateless persons the right to Kenyan citizenship, marking a major step toward ending decades of exclusion and marginalisation. The Kenya Citizenship and Immigration […]
En plénière, ce vendredi 20 juin 2025, au Palais des gouverneurs, à Porto-Novo, les députés ont adopté plusieurs lois dont celle n° 2025-11 portant modification de la loi n° 2024-31 du 02 septembre 2024 relative à la reconnaissance de la […]
By deciding to open citizenship applications to all people of African descent around the world, Benin became the latest in a growing list of African countries to formerly recognize historical links with the African diaspora. Benin’s 2 September 2024 law […]
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. […]
L’Algérie a accordé sa nationalité à plusieurs dizaines de ressortissants étrangers au cours du premier semestre 2025. Cette décision s’inscrit dans le cadre de la politique de naturalisation prévue par la législation algérienne. Selon le Journal Officiel numéro 26 daté […]
Un décret présidentiel portant acquisition de la nationalité algérienne a été publié au dernier numéro du Journal officiel. En vertu de ce décret daté du 22 avril dernier, une cinquantaine de ressortissants étrangers, nés en Algérie pour certains et à […]
The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) has projected that the proposed Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to allow individuals born outside Kenya with Kenyan ancestry to apply for citizenship, could generate Sh40 million annually for the government […]
US President Donald Trump has offered Afrikaner farmers the chance to relocate to the US as refugees. By Molefe Seeletsa Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has suggested that no Afrikaner farmers’ citizenship will be revoked, while President Cyril Ramaphosa has […]
Des clarifications de certaines notions seront introduites dans la loi sur la reconnaissance de nationalité aux Afro-descendants. Ainsi en a décidé le Conseil des ministres, mercredi 9 avril. Ceci permettra une bonne mise en oeuvre de ce cadre législatif qui […]
Open Letter by Herman Mashaba ActionSA President March 28, 2025 Yesterday, ActionSA’s Parliamentary Chief Whip, Lerato Ngobeni MP, wrote to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, urging him to reject the citizenship application of Mr Phil Craig, a British national and […]
By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja The House of Representatives on Thursday passed for second reading a bill seeking to return Nigeria to a parliamentary system of government. The bill is among 31 constitutional amendment bills that scaled second reading during plenary, […]
The Citizenship by Investment Bill passed its second reading on Wednesday, aiming to grant Nigerian citizenship to foreign investors who meet specified financial thresholds or invest in critical sectors of the economy. The House of Representatives has advanced a bill […]