Beyond Declarations: Rethinking the Compatibility of ECOWAS Protocols on Free Movement of Persons in West Africa

Abstract

An important step taken so far by member states of ECOWAS towards integration is the declaration of Protocols on free movement of persons and goods within the Community. The idea is to foster socio-economic development in the West African sub-region. However, there is a seeming disconnect between the declaration of these unifying Protocols and actual enforcement. Often times, certain irreconcilable economic and political problems, which abound in member states, become a subject matter. The likelihood of compromising individual states' national security and other inherent contradictions associated with such uninhibited mobility of persons equally pose serious concern. Matters are further worsened, owing to the seeming unpreparedness and institutional inadequacies of ECOWAS member states to tackle these challenges. Therefore, this paper seeks to link between the peculiar socio-economic realities in West African states and the inability of member countries to effectively enforce the ECOWAS Protocols on free movement of persons. Accordingly, the methodology is based on qualitative mechanism of primary and secondary data of recorded human documents. The study is predicated on the integration theory. We conclude that obvious limitations and other institutional insufficiencies inhibiting the practicability of the Protocols must be met first, before the free movement ideology can work effectively in the sub-region. In this line of thinking also, it makes little sense initiating related lofty ideals of common currency and common market in the sub-region without effectively tackling the inherent contradictions on ground.