ECOWAS Heads of Immigration Commit to Mutual Recognition of Biometric ID Card.
By Raymond Enoch.
In a major stride toward deepening regional integration and enhancing mobility across West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has secured renewed commitments from Member States to strengthen cooperation on migration management and border governance.
This development followed the successful convening of the 9th Meeting of ECOWAS Heads of Immigration, held from 14 to 16 October 2025 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, under the theme “Strengthening Border Management, Labour Migration, and Identity Systems for Enhanced Regional Integration.” The meeting was organized by the ECOWAS Commission through the Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa – Phase II (FMM II) Project, with funding support from the European Union (EU).
The high-level forum brought together Heads and senior Immigration officials from across the 15 Member States, as well as representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Discussions centered on implementing the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Establishment, and the long-awaited mutual recognition of the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) as a valid regional travel document by air, land, and sea.
In her welcome remarks, Mme Chimène Lougbenon, Director of Immigration and Emigration of Benin, expressed appreciation to ECOWAS for choosing Cotonou as host and reaffirmed her government’s commitment to advancing the ideals of regional integration and free movement.
The Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration, Mr. Albert Siaw-Boateng, highlighted the strategic importance of aligning the outcomes of the Heads of Immigration forum with the work of the Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) Technical Working Groups to ensure coherence in the implementation of regional migration instruments.
Echoing this, Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, Chief Immigration Officer of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Heads of Immigration Forum, commended ECOWAS for sustaining the dialogue platform, noting tangible progress in border management, labour migration frameworks, and data sharing. He called for stronger collaboration to achieve full interoperability of identity data and effective rollout of the ENBIC across Member States.
At the close of deliberations, participants adopted key recommendations aimed at enhancing border management, improving labour mobility systems, and ensuring greater synergy among national institutions. The meeting concluded with a renewed regional commitment to recognize the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) as a valid travel document within the Community, marking a decisive step toward seamless mobility and economic integration in West Africa.
The outcome of the Cotonou meeting underscores ECOWAS’s continued drive to operationalize its Vision 2050—a vision of “a fully integrated, peaceful and prosperous West Africa” where citizens move freely, work safely, and benefit equitably from shared development.
