Reviewed Article statelessness; and often times they are denied access to education and health services or blocked from obtaining employment. According to the UNHCR, the various means to prove nationality are: passport, nationality certificate, certificate of naturalisation, national identity card, voter’s cards, certificate of indigeneity, and birth certificate 18. Although, they argue that national identity card, voter’s cards, certificate of indigeneity and birth certificates are questionable means to prove nationality mainly due to the means and sometimes unreliable nature of the means and methods of acquiring them 19. Under resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 20 UNHCR has been requested to lead global efforts to address statelessness, particularly by supporting identification of stateless populations and the protection of stateless persons, as well as promoting efforts to prevent and reduce statelessness. 2.1 Fight against Statelessness in West Africa The States of West Africa have acknowledged the statistical numbers and the abovementioned factors that lead to statelessness in the region. Therefore, they understand the importance of the fight against statelessness. Hence, it came as no surprise that in 2011, during a high-level conference in Geneva they made the largest number of A paper presented by UNHCR at Statelessness Training on the 22-23rd May, 2019, Abuja 19 ibid 20 Resolutions 3274 (XXIX) of 10 December 1974; 31/35 of 30 November 1976; 50/152 of February 1996; 61/137 of 25 January 2007. 18 10