African countries must ratify free movement protocol without further delay — Osahen Afenyo-Markin

The Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and Minority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has urged African countries to urgently ratify protocols on the free movement of persons.

ECOWAS has had a Protocol on Free Movement of Persons since 1979, while the African Union also introduced a similar framework in 2018.

However, implementation has stalled due to what Osahen Afenyo-Markin described as a lack of political will.

In a statement delivered before the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja on Tuesday, May 5, the lawmaker noted that the situation has created barriers to trade and migration across the continent.

“We cannot build a true African Continental Free Trade Area if people cannot move with their goods,” he observed.

He stressed that the failure to fully implement existing protocols has led to the proliferation of illegal border points and the exploitation of traders by some officials.

Osahen Afenyo-Markin also linked weak enforcement of free movement rules to broader security and humanitarian challenges facing Africans across the continent.

“I say to Ghana — and to every ECOWAS Member State that has yet to act — that December 2027 must be a ceiling... The instrument must be ratified and deposited at the AU without further delay,” he stated.

“I am asking this House to develop a West African Parliamentary Action Plan on Free Movement and Border Governance — with binding timelines for the elimination of illegal checkpoints and border harassment,” he added.

He further cited recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa as evidence of the urgent need for stronger continental solidarity and legal protections for African citizens.

The Minority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament also raised concerns about insecurity in the region, particularly the killing of traders by terrorists in Mali and Burkina Faso.

He called for the introduction of an ECOWAS Civilian Protection Framework, “covering our traders and workers in conflict zones.”