Ghana: Right to Ghanaian citizenship in the case of a person born in Ghana to a Ghanaian mother, relevance of birth registration on the determination of citizenship and whether a Ghanaian citizen can have dual nationality
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA29191.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Right to Ghanaian citizenship in the case of a person born in Ghana to a Ghanaian mother, relevance of birth registration on the determination of citizenship and whether a Ghanaian citizen can have dual nationality, 1 May 1998, GHA29191.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad0b3b.html [accessed 11 October 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A professor teaching politics of law at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, who has served as a consultant to the committee of experts on the Ghanaian constitution, stated during a 16 April 1998 telephone interview that, in view of the 1993 constitution, a person born in Ghana to a Ghanaian mother is a Ghanaian citizen.
On the issue of dual citizenship, the professor stated that a Ghanaian remains a Ghanaian citizen even he/she acquires the nationality of another country.
The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Act, which came in force on 16 December 1996, repeals article 8 of the constitution and replaces it with:
Dual citizenship 8 (1). A Citizen of Ghana may hold the citizenship of any other country in addition to his citizenship of Ghana.
The professor also stated that birth registration is not relevant to the determination of Ghanaian citizenship and that one only needs to prove that one of his/her parents is Ghanaian in order to be confirmed as a Ghanaian citizen.
The Research Directorate was unsuccessful in obtaining corroboration of this statement from the Ghanaian High Commission in Ottawa.
The texts of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana which came into force on 7 January 1993 and the subsequent Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Act, which came in force on 16 December 1996, are available electronically on the UNHCR legal database (REFWORLD/REFLEG).
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.
Reference
Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Act, 16 December 1996 (REFWORLD).
Professor of politics of law, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 16 April 1998. Telephone interview.
Additional Sources Consulted
Ghana High Commission, Ottawa.
