ECOWAS President Dr. Omar Alieu Touray Urges Media to Amplify ETLS Rights and Responsibilities in West Africa By Raymond Enoch
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, on Wednesday, 7th May 2025, paid a significant visit to Nigeria’s Seme Joint Border, one of West Africa’s busiest and most strategic trade corridors.
The visit, he emphasized, was crucial in assessing the practical implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and Goods.
Dr. Touray remarked that what happens at the Seme border is a microcosm of the broader ECOWAS vision. “The visit is important for us in many ways. First, it enables us to see how the free movement of ECOWAS is being implemented at such an important corridor. What works here could inspire us elsewhere,” he noted.
He interacted directly with road users, corridor transporters, and security personnel, observing both the mechanical and human aspects of border operations. Commending the commitment of security agents at the border, he stressed the need to balance seamless movement with security integrity.
“Free movement does not mean no documentation,” Dr. Touray clarified. He emphasized that travelers must carry proper identification, and any payments made at the border must be officially receipted to maintain transparency and trust.
The ECOWAS Commission President also used the occasion to make a call to action directed at the media, urging them to actively educate citizens of the West African region on their rights and responsibilities under the ECOWAS framework.
“Every right comes with a responsibility. If you have the right to move freely, you also have the responsibility to hold an identification card. That can make life much easier for officials,” he said.
The visit aligns with ECOWAS’s broader goal of promoting regional integration through its flagship protocols like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), which seeks to eliminate barriers and foster intra-regional trade.
As ECOWAS continues to advance its integration objectives, the focus remains clear: rights must be respected, but so too must responsibilities. Dr. Touray’s visit to the Seme border underscores that achieving the ECOWAS vision requires cooperation, clarity, and community engagement at every level.
