Zambians in diaspora write president on documentation-related hardships

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zambians in the diaspora wrote Tuesday to President Hakainde Hichilema asking for help in accessing national documents.

Ferdinand Simaanya, the head of the Zambian Diaspora Organization, said the challenges are lengthy in the processes in accessing documentation, including birth certificates, national registration cards and travel documents.

“Our appeal is for the government to revise and change some instruments in the Constitution to help decentralise the issuance of national documents. Despite dual citizenship being encouraged, information pertaining to the process of acquiring such statuses is not well stipulated, detailed and documented,” the South Africa-based Simaanya said in the letter that was shared with the media.

Hichilema’s office has yet to comment or issue a confirmation of a receipt of the letter.

Zambia, a country of 18 million, amended its Constitution in 2016 to provide dual citizenship, but according to Simaanya, there was yet to be a clear roadmap on the process of how one could acquire dual citizenship.

The country also did not enable citizens who live abroad to participate in general elections last year, despite the right being afforded in the dual citizenship clause.