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Ghana: Further to GHA24553.E of 17 July 1996, whether there have been changes to the provisions of the Ghanaian Constitution or Nationality Act that affect the acquisition of citizenship or residency in Ghana

In a speech given at the 23-25 July 2001 Homecoming Summit in Accra, the Minister for the Interior, Alhaj Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, said that although the Constitution was amended in 1996 to pave the way for dual citizenship, the necessary changes to the Immigration and Citizenship Acts were not made until recently (Ghana Review 19 Aug. 2001). The Immigration Act of 2000 (Act 583) was passed by parliament in February 2000 and the Citizenship Act of 2000 (Act 591) was passed in December 2000, however, the Regulations necessary to implement these Acts are at this time not yet in place (HomeView Ghana 12 July 2001; Ghana Review 19 Aug. 2001; Embassy of Ghana 19 Oct. 2001). The Information Officer at the Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC. explained that both the Immigration and Citizenship Acts of 2000, which are geared towards the implementation of dual citizenship, were passed by the previous government before the election in December 2000, and that now the Acts are in the process of being passed by the new government of President J.A. Kufuor (ibid.).

According to information provided by a representative of the Consular Section of the High Commission of Ghana in Ottawa during a telephone interview on 19 October 2001, the Immigration Act, also referred to as the "Right to Abode" Act, pertains to people of African descent living in the Diaspora (primarily the United States and the Caribbean, although all people of African descent are included) and, once the dual-citizenship law comes into effect, will provide them with the opportunity to obtain Ghanaian citizenship while retaining their current citizenship.

The representative confirmed that while to date there have been no changes to the Constitution of Ghana since its adoption in 1992 that would affect the acquisition of citizenship or residency in Ghana, the above-mentioned Immigration and Citizenship Acts of 2000 are in the process of being passed through parliament, and there is a "strong likelihood" that the Ghanaian parliament will pass a dual-citizenship bill in the near future (ibid.).

No mention of any changes to the Nationality Act could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Embassy of Ghana, Washington, DC. 19 October 2001. Telephone interview with the Information Officer.

Ghana Review, London. 19 August 2001. Speech by Minister of the Interior. <http://www.ghanareview.com/Amahy.html> [Accessed 18 October 2001]

High Commission of Ghana, Ottawa. 19 October 2001. Telephone interview with representative from the Consular Section.

HomeView Ghana. 12 July 2001. "Dual Citizens Can Vote – Bagbin." <http://www.homeviewghana.net/jul_12_08.html> [Accessed 18 October 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

Africa Confidential 1999-2001

Africa Research Bulletin 1999-2001

Africa South of the Sahara. 2000.

Europa World Yearbook 2000.

IRIN

Keesing's Record of World Events 1999-2001.

NEXIS

Political Handbook of the World 1999.

US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1999-2000.

WNC

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch

Ghanaian Chronicle

GhanaWeb.con