Over the years, ECOWAS Member States have initiated policies and legal frameworks to address migration management, border delimitation, security, and development of border regions. Many countries have established or strengthened National Boundary Commissions with border governance responsibilities. However, there is a real challenge in terms of strengthening synergies, the articulation of scale between actors, and the coordination of cross-border initiatives—a role that ECOWAS can validly play. It is against this background that the Directorate of Free Movement of Persons of the ECOWAS Commission organized the inaugural meeting of Heads of National Boundary Commissions from 9 to 11 July 2024 in Accra, Ghana.
The main objective of the meeting was to agree on establishing a coordination mechanism between national and regional actors for better implementation of border governance strategies within the ECOWAS region.
Mrs. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana was the Guest of Honour. In declaring the inaugural meeting opened, Mrs. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey stressed: “there is the need to create an enabling environment and to synchronise regional boundary management to ensure best practices, enjoy the benefits of shared boundary and tackle cross-border challenges.” She encouraged leaders in boundary management to ensure continuous support towards an integrated Africa and enjoined delegates to actively participate in harnessing their expertise for fruitful deliberations.
Other speakers included Major General Emmanuel W. Kotia, Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission; Surveyor Adamu Adaji, Director General of Nigeria's National Boundary Commission who chaired the meeting; Ambassador Mouktar Osman Karie from AU; Mr. Eric Kondia representing UEMOA; and Mr Albert Siaw-Boateng, Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration at ECOWAS.
Mr Albert Siaw-Boateng spoke on behalf of Mrs Massandje Toure-Litse, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture. He noted: “the institutionalisation of the meeting is aimed at integrating border governance and management as an instrument on socioeconomic integration—the ambition since ECOWAS' creation in 1975.”
He added that border government and management are part of West Africa's integration efforts. The cross-border initiatives programme was created in 2006; thus, this Accra meeting aimed to review existing programmes and their scope.
This inaugural meeting aimed to develop an intervention strategy between ECOWAS Commission and Member States to harmonize border governance in West Africa.
At its conclusion, specific recommendations were formulated for regional bodies such as ECOWAS, WAEMU (UEMOA), AU (African Union), as well as at national levels.
Regionally and continentally, it was recommended to institutionalize annual meetings for exchanging policies on border governance considering both internal and external borders.
Nationally, Member States were encouraged to strengthen bilateral and multilateral exchange frameworks between national/local cross-border cooperation structures for better monitoring local initiatives.
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