Poor data systems undermining regional integration efforts

Albert Siaw-Boateng, the director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has warned that weak and poorly coordinated migration data systems are hampering West Africa’s regional integration drive.

This came to the fore at the ongoing First Extraordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament in Abuja were on Tuesday.

The analyst cautioned that without reliable data, stronger labour governance, and consistent enforcement across member states, the economic gains expected from cross-border mobility may be significantly constrained.

The Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration at the ECOWAS, said human mobility remains a powerful engine for economic integration but warned that its full benefits can only be realised through stronger governance frameworks.

He explained that his presentation sought to highlight the link between human mobility and regional integration, examine labour mobility as a driver of intra-regional trade, assess progress made so far, and identify persistent challenges in labour migration governance.

Siaw-Boateng described the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol as one of the region’s most ambitious integration instruments.

Adopted in 1979 and revised in 1993, the protocol aligns with the Continental Free Movement Protocol and remains a core pillar of the regional integration agenda.

Under the three-phase implementation framework, the first phase guarantees the right of entry, allowing citizens of member states to travel visa-free with a passport and health certificate, while the 90-day stay limit has been abolished.

The second and third phases provide for the right of residence and establishment, enabling migrants to work and set up businesses across member states.

Despite this progress, he warned that weak migration data systems pose a major threat to effective implementation.

According to him, the ECOWAS Regional Migration Policy underscores that building a harmonised regional data collection and management system is essential for developing evidence-based migration and development policies.

He outlined nine pillars underpinning the Regional Migration Policy, including border management, labour migration governance, migrant protection, climate change-induced migration, and strengthening statistical systems. Reliable and harmonised data, he stressed, is critical for tracking labour mobility trends and aligning national policies across the sub-region.

Siaw-Boateng pointed to existing frameworks such as the ECOWAS Common Approach to Migration and the Labour Migration Strategy and Action Plan (2025–2030), which aim to promote safe, regular, and rights-based labour mobility in West Africa.

However, he acknowledged serious governance shortcomings, including limited labour inspection mechanisms, weak portability of social protection benefits, and inadequate labour market information sharing among member states.

ECOWAS, he said, is working to better align free movement provisions with labour standards to prevent exploitation of migrant workers.

Several initiatives are currently underway to address these gaps, which include the EU-funded Free Movement and Migration Project, the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card scheme, the proposed ECO-Visa, and a Regional Labour Migration Statistics Programme designed to harmonise data methodologies across member states.

Siaw-Boateng disclosed that about 70 per cent of migrant workers operate in informal employment, making regulation of labour standards and extension of social protection extremely difficult.

Data fragmentation and weak enforcement of the Free Movement Protocol in some countries further complicate implementation.

Skills mismatches and limited mutual recognition of qualifications also persist. To tackle these issues, ECOWAS is developing a Regional Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Qualifications Framework, alongside plans for a cross-border labour inspection network.

“While labour mobility can accelerate industrial development, address skills shortages, and enhance inclusion of women and youth in the regional economy, robust governance reforms and digitalised labour mobility systems are essential to unlock the full benefits of AfCFTA and deepen West Africa’s economic integration”, he noted.