Ending statelessness in West Africa is crucial for domestic and regional security

At least 1 million people in West Africa are impacted by statelessness, with hundreds of thousands more at risk. While the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions offer a blueprint to address this crisis, states continue to manipulate citizenship laws for strategic benefit. As pressure to ratify human rights conventions often comes from within, Isabel Paolini examines the historic contexts of Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire where progress has been made.