Editing ECOWAS (section)

=== The Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment Protocol ===
In May 1979, ECOWAS adopted a Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment Protocol, which permits citizens to enter, reside, and establish economic activities in the territory of member states.<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Adepoju |first1=A. |last2=Boulton |first2=A. |last3=Levin |first3=M. |title=Promoting Integration Through Mobility: Free Movement Under Ecowas |journal=Refugee Survey Quarterly |date=September 2010 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=120–144 |doi=10.1093/rsq/hdq032}}</ref> There were three phases of implementation to achieve the goals of the protocol. Over the course of five years, Phase I eliminated the need for visas for stays of up to 90 days within the ECOWAS territory.<ref name=":4" /> Phase II attempted to extend residency to citizens in host ECOWAS states to seek income-earning employment after obtaining an ECOWAS residence card. Phase II also required member states to grant migrant workers equal treatment in areas such as employment, participation, social and cultural activities, and in certain cases of job loss, re-employment, and training.<ref name=":4"/> Phase III centered on the facilitation and establishment of business through the right of citizens to manage economic activities in countries other than their country of origin. However, this right has not been fully established in the ECOWAS region.<ref name=":4" /> While these three phases promoting freedom of movement within the ECOWAS region is more advanced than in any other regional grouping in Africa, only the first phase has been fully implemented by all ECOWAS countries.<ref name=":4" /> The complete implementation of the 90-day visa-free window enhanced human mobility in the region, creating positive effects on trade and economic development.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Castillejo |first1=Clare |title=The influence of EU migration policy on regional free movement in the IGAD and ECOWAS regions |journal=Discussion Paper |date=2019 |doi=10.23661/dp11.2019}}</ref>

In December 2000, the [[ECOWAS passport]] was introduced as a common passport that functions as an international travel document, and member states are currently in the process of implementing a joint visa for non-ECOWAS citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ECOWAS – Free Movement of Persons {{!}} United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |url=https://archive.uneca.org/pages/ecowas-free-movement-persons |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=archive.uneca.org |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128212014/https://archive.uneca.org/pages/ecowas-free-movement-persons |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, ECOWAS has worked to ease the movement of people transported in private and commercial vehicles by implementing policies that enable vehicles to enter and reside in a State for up to ninety days. Most ECOWAS states have instituted an ECOWAS brown card, which provides prompt, fair, and immediate compensation for any motor accident which occurs outside a motorist's home-country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benefits {{!}} ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance |url=https://www.browncard.org/Avantages.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.browncard.org |language=fr |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928070401/https://browncard.org/Avantages.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

While monitoring committees exist to ensure all three phases of the protocol are successfully implemented, their work is vague and has not been credited with effective and efficient production of data.<ref name=":4" /> The largest challenges assosicated within the implementation of the protocol occur due to lack of commitment and enforceability. More so, there is a lack of access to readily available migrant information in the ECOWAS region. This poses a barrier to freedom of movement as immigration officials in member states are unaware that individuals who hold valid travel documents can enter their country freely. Therefore, West African migrants, who are entitled to enter through regular channels, leave their countries without proper travel documents and enter other countries illegally. This illegal and irregular entry poses a barrier towards gaining reliable travel statistics.<ref name=":4" />

For example, Francophone countries in the region have issued national identity cards that can be used similarly to a passport. These cards permit citizens to cross borders after presenting their identity cards. However, Anglophone countries have only just begun distributing a similar form of identification. Consequently, immigration officials in Anglophone countries commonly reject Francophone national identity cards and do not permit Francophone citizens to cross into their borders. Further, these structural barriers are exasperated between different social classes. Middle-class individuals typically experience a smoother border-crossing process than working-class individuals and impoverished citizens who do not have travel documents and are not fluent in the language of the countries they are crossing into.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-97322-3_2 |chapter=Free Movement and Regional Integration in the ECOWAS Sub-Region |title=Migration in West Africa |series=IMISCOE Research Series |date=2022 |last1=Garba |first1=Faisal |last2=Yeboah |first2=Thomas |pages=19–34 |isbn=978-3-030-99238-5}}</ref>