President Sirleaf supports dual citizenship for Liberians

The All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship representing over 500,000 Liberians in the Diaspora has resolved to name President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the Diaspora Person of the Year 2015 in acknowledgement of her concern and meaningful support for dual citizenship for those born as Liberians and of Liberian parentage. 

Our decision to select President Sirleaf as the Diaspora Person of the Year 2015 was based on the president’s stable leadership in the fight against Ebola which demonstrated her love for the people of Liberia and her visible leadership in our quest for dual citizenship. 

President Sirleaf’s vision to involve all Liberians in the development of our country has led her commitment toward dual citizenship for those born as Liberians and of Liberian parentage. 

Each year, President Sirleaf has highlighted the issue during her annual message and continued to make statements in support of dual citizenship. Her statements have enumerated the benefits our country will get from removing legal bottlenecks to Liberians who have acquired additional citizenships abroad so that they can fully participate in the economic, social and infrastructural development of our country. 

President Sirleaf has acknowledged that our laws provide that only Liberian citizens can own real property in Liberia and the current 1973 Alien and Nationality Law as amended in 1974 through the Fourth Regular Session of the Forty-Fifth Legislature strips natural born Liberians of their citizenship for assuming additional citizenship. This imposes legal restrictions on many Liberians by birth, who fled abroad due to war and conflict, from investing in the country as they cannot own or inherit real property in Liberia. It also stifles the participation of Diaspora Liberians in the re-construction and economic recovery of the land of our nativity. 

For the past 10 years or more we have continued to take numerous steps to remove this legal impediment so that Diaspora Liberians can actively invest in the country and participate in the economic recovery. These include several meetings with you during which we have continued to crave your indulgence to help repeal the Alien and Nationality Law.  We have sent delegations to Liberia, written letters and held meetings with the leadership and individual members of the National Legislature. We have submitted proposals and actively lobbied to repeal the Alien and Nationality Law. We were deeply involved in the national consultation to amend the National Constitution, and were represented at this year’s National Constitution Review Conference in Gbarnga, Bong County. 

Sadly, after all of these efforts, the 1973 Alien and Nationality Law as amended in 1974 through the Fourth Regular Session of the Forty-Fifth Legislature still remains in place notwithstanding its unconstitutionality.

Again, we want to express our sincere gratitude to President Sirleaf for her public support for dual citizenship.

All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship