Original Article Statelessness in West Africa: An Assessment of Stateless Populations and Legal, Policy, and Administrative Frameworks in Ghana Journal on Migration and Human Security 2020, Vol. 8(1) 14-31 ª The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/2331502419900771 journals.sagepub.com/home/mhs Raymond A. Atuguba Harvard Law School and University of Ghana School of Law Francis Xavier Dery Tuokuu Keene State College Vitus Gbang Central University Executive Summary Drawing on qualitative interviews that are complemented by the analysis of government policy documents, this study examines statelessness in Ghana. It addresses a range of policy, legal, institutional, administrative, and other politico-socioeconomic matters attendant to the concept. The study defines statelessness in its strict legal sense. It recognizes populations at risk of statelessness that may be restricted from benefiting from the protection and privileges of their host state. Persons identified by the study as stateless or at risk of statelessness include persons from traditionally nomadic migratory communities, former refugees, persons residing in border communities, members of Zongo communities, trafficked persons, and those affected by gaps in previous constitutions. The study also identifies the consequences of statelessness, including lack of access to healthcare, education, justice, and work. The study offers several recommendations to prevent and reduce statelessness in Ghana. Keywords statelessness, constitution, refugees, Ghana international travel. The Universal Declaration of 1 Individuals residing in a number of countries are being Human Rights (UDHR) affirms that everyone has the denied the privileges and rights given to the rest of the right to a nationality, thereby acknowledging the legal population because they have no documents to prove and practical importance of nationality for the enjoytheir citizenship (Kerwin and Warren 2019). Many of ment of human rights. It is, therefore, essential that the these people have difficulty proving they possess links citizenship laws of Ghana work to make certain that to a state due to lack of birth registration and other doc- everyone in Ghana holds a nationality. umentation that could confirm their nationality. Stateless persons may find it difficult to access job opportunities 1 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and health and educational facilities, and to undertake 1948. Introduction Corresponding Author: Francis Xavier Dery Tuokuu, Postdoctoral Fellow, York University, Ontario, CA. Email: fxtuokuu@yorku.ca