STRAND 4: LAW AND

ORDER
SUB STRAND 1: CITIZENSHIP
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 Have you ever been asked to give or fill in your nationality?

 Why did you write in “Ghanaian”?
 In your opinion, what makes you a Ghanaian?
 Do you think as a Ghanaian, you are entitled to certain rights and obligated to
perform certain responsibilities?
What is citizenship?

 Citizenship refers to the membership of a country or a state

 A citizen is therefore a person who is a member of a country or a state.
 For instance, a Nigerian is a citizen of Nigeria, an American is a citizen of the
United States Of America and a Ghanaian is a citizen of Ghana.
 You will be surprised to find out where some famous people you know are
citizens of.
 Let us look at some notable citizens of some countries;
Some Notable People and their citizenship

Ghanaian actress and T.V. presenter, Nana Ama McBrown.

 Nigerian Novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie
American Actor, Dwayne Johnson
British actor and comedian, Rowan
Atkinson
British singer, songwriter and
instrumentalist, Adele.
Norwegian footballer, Erling Haaland
Canadian musician, Justin Bieber
Retired Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt.
Pope Francis, Argentinian
How many of these notable personalities
do you know?
 Mention some citizens from these countries
 Ghana
 Nigeria
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Russia
 China etc.
Dual Citizenship

 Did you know that it is possible for a person to have citizenship of two
countries at the same time? This is called “ dual citizenship”.
 Dual citizenship is therefore a situation where a person has citizenship of
two countries at the same time.
 For instance, a person who is a Ghanaian and a British at the same time has
dual citizenship.
 Do you know any notable personality who has dual citizenship?
Footballer, Inaki Williams is both a
Ghanaian and a Spaniard.
DID YOU KNOW……

 ADDDDDASSSSA
 According to the 1992 constitution of Ghana, a person who has dual
citizenship cannot stand for national elections or occupy a political office in
Ghana?
 He or she will have to renounce their foreign citizenship in order to occupy a
political office in Ghana.
 An example is the case of the member of parliament for Jomoro Constituency
in Ghana, Dorcas Affo Toffey.
The member of parliament was asked to produce evidence of
the renunciation of her Ivoirian citizenship in court
Ways of becoming a citizen of Ghana

 One does not automatically become a Ghanaian just like a person does not
automatically become a student of a school
 if you want to be a student of a school, what must you do?
 That is right! You have to register in the school to be admitted before you can
become a member of the school.
 Equally, a person can become a citizen of Ghana through some ways.
 Let us look at these ways;
1. Birth
A picture of a new born child
in Ghana
1. Birth (continued)

 According to the 1992 constitution of Ghana;

 “ A person born on or after 24th September, 1979 and before 7th January 1993
is a citizen of Ghana by birth if (a) either of his parents or grandparents was
a citizen of Ghana or (b) he was born outside Ghana and at the time of his
birth, either of his parent was a citizen of Ghana.” ( Citizenship ACT 2000)
 in simple words, this means you are a Ghanaian by birth if you were born in
Ghana by at least one Ghanaian parent or you were born outside Ghana by at
least one Ghanaian parent.
2. Adoption
picture of a mother with her adopted children
2. Adoption

 To adopt a child is to legally become a parent of a child who was given birth
to by someone else.
 The child can bear the surname of his or her adoptive parents and can inherit
their properties.
 He or she also enjoys similar rights and performs similar responsibilities of
their biological children if they have any.
DID YOU KNOW ?

 Orphans who are adopted by adults share the citizenship of the parents who
adopted them. For instance, if an American citizen adopts a Ghanaian
citizen, the Ghanaian citizen can also become an American citizen because
his or parents (adopted parents) are now Americans. This is also the same in
the case of Ghana.
 Some orphans who are adopted by Ghanaian parents also become Ghanaians
by adoption.
 Do you know some orphanages in Ghana where orphans can be adopted?
Name them.
3. By marriage

 When a person marries another person from a different country and registers
the marriage in that country, he or she can become a citizen of that country
by marriage.
 For instance, a Nigerian can also become a Ghanaian when he or she marries
a Ghanaian and vice versa.
 We must note that, this does not mean that they lose the citizenship of their
original countries. This is where dual citizenship also comes in.
An example of citizenship by marriage
4. By Ancestry (decent)

 Some people are able to trace their lineage to where their ancestors came
from.
 For instance, a lot of Blacks (West Africans) were transported across the
transported across the Atlantic ocean as slaves between the years, 1400 to
1800.
 Today, their descendants can become citizens of Ghana if they trace their
ancestral lineage to Ghana.
Idriss Elba, a British actor was granted an ancestral
citizenship by the government of Sierra Leone
Do you know any person who has been granted an
ancestral citizenship by the government of Ghana?

Name them.
4. By founding

 According to the constitution of Ghana,

 A person who is less than 7 years old found in Ghana and whose parents are
not known is presumed to be a Ghanaian.
 This can also be called citizenship by presumption.
5. By honour ( honorary conferment)

 Some people are rewarded with citizenship of a country for doing something
good or achieving something important.
 This is known as citizenship by honour.
 Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Honoured W.B. Du Bois with Ghanaian citizenship for
helping to spread the need for Africans to fight for independence and to
unite.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with Du Bois
Responbilities of a Ghanaian

 Responbilites are duties you are expected to perform as a person.

 As a child, what are some of your responsibilities at home?
 Your guess is as good as mine
 Some of your responbilities are;
 doing your homework, washing dishes, sweeping the compound and
performing other house-hold chores.
 Do you know as a Ghanaian, you also have certain responsibilities towards
your country?
 let us look at some of these responsibilities.
List of some responsibilities of a
Ghanaian
 Obeying the rules and regulations of the state
 Paying taxes to the state
 Defending the constitution
 Protecting the state properties such as the national currency
 Reporting criminals or saboteurs to the authorities
 Voting during elections
 Engaging in communal labour

Let us look at some of the above responsibilities in detail

How can we protect state properties?

 We can protect state properties by;

 Not destroying or defacing them. Example, not crumpling our cedi notes
 Not selling or stealing properties that belongs to the state e.g. State vehicles
and houses
We can defend the constitution by;
 ensuring that people who do not obey the rules in the constitution are
brought to book or dealt with according to the law. Example, people who
intentionally register underage voters.
3. Voting during elections

 We must also vote during elections.

 This is necessary to ensure that the right candidates are elected to lead us
and manage our affairs.
 It is also important to note that voting is also a right.
 However, according to the 1992 constitution of Ghana, a person is qualified to
vote if;
 he or she is a Ghanaian, he or she is 18 years or above and he or she is of
sound mind.
 He or she must meet all the above requirements to vote in a national
election.
A Ghanaian voting in an election
 Try your hands on these questions at
home
 1. Who is a citizen?
 2. Discuss 4 ways by which a person can become a Ghanaian citizen.
 3. In groups, present an essay with images on some of the responsibilities of
Ghanaians and ways authorities and institutions in Ghana can ensure that
these responsibilities are performed.
THANK YOU .