The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment was approved by the ECOWAS heads of state and the government in Dakar on 29 May 1979.
The History of ECOWAS started when the treaty of Lagos establishing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was signed on 28 th May, 1975 by Heads of State and Government of fifteen Independent States, later joined by a sixteenth. Aims & Objectives of ECOWAS. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aim at. This is what the ECOWAS environmental policy aims to achieve. Context The formulation of this policy was carried out according to the following stages:. Consideration of the mega trends in the situation of resources and processes at both national and sub-regional level and especially the recent Common Policy for the improvement of the. The Economic Community of West African States, also known as ECOWAS, is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa.Collectively, these countries comprise an area of 5,114,162 km 2 (1,974,589 sq mi), and in 2015 had an estimated population of over 349 million. The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, with its. CHAPTER II: ESTABLISHMENT, COMPOSITION, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES AND FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMUNITY. Establishment and Composition. THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES, by this Treaty, hereby reaffirm the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and decide that it shall ultimately be.
IMPROVING THE CAPACITY OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND NATIONAL/LOCAL STATE AUTHORITIES TO ENHANCE INTRA- AND INTER-REGIONAL MOBILITY VIA THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ECOWAS FREE MOVEMENT PROTOCOL.
Implemented by CMS in Ghana and Sierra Leone.
Established in 1975 via the treaty of Lagos, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gathers 15 countries of the region to promote a regional economic integration. With the aim of creating a single trading bloc through economic cooperation, the activities include industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial issues, social as well as cultural matters. The goal is not only to develop a trading union but also to create a “borderless region” promoting “free movement of persons” and the right of residence and establishment as stated by the Free Movement Protocol in 1979
However, since this Protocol is not effectively implemented, it makes it difficult for populations to move freely and settle in the ECOWAS countries and hence unleash the potential of migration for the socio-economic development in the region.To address this issue, the Centre for Migration Studies, MADE West Africa’s partner, aims at increasing the civil society’s capacity to influence intra- and inter-regional mobility policies and in general the implementation of the ECOWAS free movement protocol at national level.
Countries
For this project objective, MADE West Africa via the Center for Migration Studies of the University of Ghana focuses on Sierra Leone and Ghana.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone represents a low income, predominantly migrant sending ECOWAS countries. Although Sierra Leone is endowed with many valuable natural resources (e.g. diamond, titanium, bauxite and gold) it is among the poorest countries of the world because of the decade long civil conflict (1991-2002). The recent civil war and endemic poverty have contributed to massive emigration since the 1990s. The 2010 Population Census results show that although the country is largely a migrant source country, with an estimated emigrant stock representing 4.6 percent of the total population, it also hosts many foreigners, who constitute about 1.81 percent of the population of the country, of which 97 percent is of West African origin. Given this situation, Sierra Leone offers a unique setting for exploring the challenges associated with mobility from and to very low income countries in the region.
Ghana
Ghana represents a relatively stable, economically vibrant, migrant destination within the ECOWAS region. Ghana receives labour migrants from several other countries, including Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali and Burkina Faso. It also receives refugees from many of the countries in the sub-region. Many of the refugees who came from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire have settled in Ghana. All this provides an opportunity to examine the protection of the rights of these vulnerable ECOWAS citizens as well as issues of settlement and integration and highlight how the implementation challenges of the ECOWAS free movement protocol has developed as Ghana has evolved from a source country to a destination country of West African immigrants.
These activities are implemented by
Ghana is firmly committed to the implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and the Right of Establishment as well as the Protocol on Community Citizenship.
Mr Charles Owiredu, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said the two Protocols together, aims to create a single ECOWAS Regional Community, devoid of obstacles and impediments to free movement of people, goods, services and capital.
“Indeed, it is our steadfast conviction that free movement, constitute the cornerstone of our Regional Integration efforts, and serves as the basis for unlocking the dividends thereof, with an immense potential to advance the sustainable development of our Region,” Mr Owiredu stated
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The Deputy Minister said this at the inauguration of the National Steering Committee in Ghana of the Regional Monitoring Mechanisms for Free Movement of Inter-State Passenger Vehicles, Persons and Goods within ECOWAS.
The two-day meeting is being organised within the framework of the ECOWAS-Swiss Agreement for the removal of harassment along ECOWAS highways and the joint ECOWAS EU funded 10th European Development Fund (EDF) -Project “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa”.
The ECOWAS Commission has selected Ghana as one of the eight pilot countries to establish a National Steering Committee to operationalise the Regional Monitoring Mechanism for the Free Movement of Inter-State Passenger Vehicles, Persons and Goods within the ECOWAS sub-region.
The eight pilot countries were selected at the 46th Session of the Council of Ministers and 73rd Session of the Conference of Heads of States and Government.
The piloting countries include: Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, the Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.
The Regional Mechanism aims to contribute in finding effective and sustainable solutions to obstacles to the free movement of persons and goods within the ECOWAS space.
It also seeks to improve the safety of the people and the free flow of interstate buses in the sub-region; strengthen regional coordination on the free movement of persons and goods; and minimize time and reduce red tape for transporters and passengers.
The launch of the National Steering Committee in Ghana therefore, completes the circle of National Steering Committees in the eight pilot countries to support the operationalisation of the Regional Mechanism based in Abidjan.
Mr Owiredu said: “It is our expectation that, the National Steering Committee, which would be the entity responsible for overseeing activities related to Regional Mechanism, would pave the way for enhanced intra-regional interactions, particularly the regional effort to facilitate movement of persons along the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor.
“This will complement arrangements put in place by the Government of Ghana to secure our international road corridors and ensure the free flow of goods and services across our borders”.
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He said the event was a major achievement in their collective efforts to reduce harassment along their international road corridors and at their borders with their neighbours, while bringing them a great deal closer to the full realisation of their objective of free movement.
Mr Albert Siaw-Boateng, the Director, Free Movement and Tourism at the ECOWAS Commission, said aside the eight countries currently implementing the pilot phase, there were plans to extend the project to other countries within the ECOWAS sub-region.
He said the Regional Mechanisations aims to achieve two general objectives: “Simplify and facilitate the movement and crossing of land borders and eliminate intermediate road side checks, delays and perceived illegal benefits; while ensuring the safety of people in a safe environment”.
Madam Mojisola Sodeinde, the Coordinator/Team Leader of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) West Africa Office, lauded the efforts of the Swiss Government in supporting the removal of obstacles to the free movement of persons along the Lagos – Abidjan Corridor, including Mali, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria.
She said the project model, which was instituted by the Ivory Coast from which this Mechanism draws inspiration had proven to be a great success; and that, expanding this imitative to cover other corridors of mobility was a positive step towards the achieving of Regional Integration.
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“With the full participation of Ghana, we expect the mechanism to yield even greater benefits.
“If we get it right, it will mean that millions of the citizens of ECOWAS member states will be able to exercise their rights of free movement, without any discrimination or incidence of unnecessary harassment,” she added.