THE ECOWAS COMMISSION CHALLENGES MEMBER STATES TO ACCELERATE THE IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL AS THE ABOLITION OF THE 90-DAY STAY LIMITATION FOR COMMUNITY CITIZENS

“As a precursor to actualising the 2nd phase of the Free Movement protocol, the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government during the 45th ECOWAS Ordinary Summit repealed the 90-day stay requirement for Community Citizens entering other Member States — however, this decision as contained in Supplementary Act A/SA. 1/07/14 is yet to be implemented due to lack of information and political will and has hindered the realisation of phase 2 of the Protocol on Free Movement – Right to Residency.”

The Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Albert Siaw-Boateng, representing the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Ms. Massandje Toure-Litse, stressed the need for Member States to roll-out and accelerate the implementation of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card and also the implementation of the decision of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government of the 45th ECOWAS Ordinary Summit related to the repeal of the 90-day stay requirement for Community Citizens entering other Member States.

Mr. Siaw-Boateng also emphasized the importance of being well-prepared for unexpected migration challenges, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. He, therefore called for the review the Free Movement Protocol and its Supplementary Acts.

Mr. Siaw-Boateng made the call in Lagos, Nigeria at the technical meeting for Border Management Thematic Working Group on the theme “Acceleration of the implementation of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) and the Abolishing of 90-days stay limit/Resident Permits for Community Citizens”, organised by the Directorate of Free Movement of Persons and Migration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), from 30-31 May 2024.

The meeting which was under the auspices of the Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) platform sought to (1) Enhance existing synergies amongst members of the technical working group for ease of the enforcement of regional instruments relating to migration; (2) Provide an update on the status of implementation  of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC); and (3) Endorse a Common Position on the abolition of the 90-day stay limitation and elaborate a road map for the implementation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Chairperson of the meeting, Mr David Adebambo, Deputy Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), emphasized that adopting the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) was a pivotal step towards achieving free movement within ECOWAS Member States. “The workshop would serve as a crucial platform for open dialogue, knowledge sharing, identifying obstacles, and developing concrete solutions for ENBIC implementation”, he noted. He also highlighted key immigration issues that hindered the implementation of ENBIC and expressed hope that the meeting’s outcome such as data accuracy.

At the end of meeting the Border Management Thematic Working Group made the specific recommendations aimed at harmonising policies and addressing challenges during the implementation of the ENBIC and the abolition of the 90-day stay limitation for community citizens

The meeting was attended by Border Management experts drawn from Immigration Services of (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone).