ECOWAS Pushes for Seamless Cross-Border Movement in West Africa
In a bid to strengthen regional ties, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has intensified efforts to implement a protocol aimed at ensuring the free movement of people, the right of residence, and the establishment of businesses across West Africa. Gathering in Banjul, The Gambia, this week, parliamentarians from the region converged for a crucial five-day session centred around making this vision a reality.
With the theme “Parliament’s Role in the Implementation of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence, and Establishment in the ECOWAS Region,” the session underscored the importance of overcoming hurdles that have stalled the full realization of these objectives. The protocol, originally adopted in May 1979, remains a cornerstone of ECOWAS’s mission to foster deeper regional integration and economic cooperation.
Opening the session, The Gambia’s Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment, Baboucarr Joof, reiterated his nation’s unwavering commitment to regional unity. He urged his colleagues to rally behind the protocol with stronger legislative backing and urged closer collaboration with national governments to eliminate any barriers to its implementation.
Joof highlighted that the essence of ECOWAS lies in ensuring that citizens of member states can move freely, reside where they choose, and establish businesses without hindrance. These principles, he stressed, are not merely aspirational but fundamental to the economic integration and prosperity that ECOWAS seeks for all its citizens.
Echoing this sentiment, the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadija Ibrahima, called for unified efforts among policymakers and stakeholders to identify and overcome the challenges that have hampered the protocol’s implementation. She emphasized that achieving the benefits of free movement would require coordinated policies and actions at both regional and national levels.
Key discussions during the session focused on aligning national laws with the protocol’s provisions, enhancing cooperation among member states, and securing the resources necessary for effective execution. As the session draws to a close on August 30, a communiqué will be issued, detailing the key recommendations and decisions, which will then be submitted to the ECOWAS Commission and Parliament for further action.
The push for seamless cross-border movement within West Africa is a bold step towards realizing ECOWAS’s broader vision of a more integrated and economically vibrant region.
