Modelle, Innovationen und Herausforderungen der intraregionalen Migration und Governance

The document evaluates the ECOWAS free movement framework, noting its success in facilitating intra-regional mobility while highlighting significant barriers such as insecurity, protectionist national policies, and the recent withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

• ECOWAS is recognized as the most successful African regional organization in facilitating the free movement of people, with an estimated 84 percent of its citizens' migratory movements occurring within member states.
• The free movement framework is governed by the 1979 Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment and the 1998 Transhumance Decision, which were implemented in phases to allow visa-free entry, employment rights, and the right to establish businesses.
• Implementation of free movement is hindered by widespread insecurity, including the Boko Haram insurgency, as well as irregular migration, human trafficking, and poor road infrastructure.
• Protectionist economic policies in member states contradict ECOWAS protocols; for example, Ghana's GIPC Act excludes Nigerian migrants from retail and trade, and Sierra Leone reserves public sector jobs for its own nationals.
• The ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol faces significant non-compliance and challenges due to climate change, resource scarcity, and farmer-herder conflicts, leading countries like Benin and Guinea to ban cross-border transhumance.
• The January 2025 withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has created uncertainty regarding the future of regional trade and migration protocols.
• Institutional delays and a lack of political will have slowed the adoption of the National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) as a replacement for the ECOWAS Travel Certificate.

APA

Yemisi, O. (2025). Modelle, Innovationen und Herausforderungen der intraregionalen Migration und Governance. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/de/modelle-innovationen-und-herausforderungen-der-intraregionalen-migration-und-governance-en

Chicago

Yemisi, Olawale. Modelle, Innovationen und Herausforderungen der intraregionalen Migration und Governance. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/de/modelle-innovationen-und-herausforderungen-der-intraregionalen-migration-und-governance-en.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yemisi |first1=Olawale |title=Modelle, Innovationen und Herausforderungen der intraregionalen Migration und Governance |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=18 November 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/de/modelle-innovationen-und-herausforderungen-der-intraregionalen-migration-und-governance-en |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yemisi2025modelle, author = {Yemisi, Olawale}, title = {{Modelle, Innovationen und Herausforderungen der intraregionalen Migration und Governance}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://afripoli.org/de/modelle-innovationen-und-herausforderungen-der-intraregionalen-migration-und-governance-en}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }