ECOWAS Regional Border Management Workshop To Be Held In Accra

A four-Day workshop on the Training of Trainers (ToT) on the ECOWAS Regional Management Training and Free Movement Manual and its Trainer's Guide will be held in Accra from March 19 th to 22nd.

A statement issued by International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Sunday said ECOWAS and the Consortium of Partners - International Organisation for Migration (IOM), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and ICMPD - with generosity from the EU (EDF) launched a five (five-year) project: Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM).

It is aimed at maximising the development potential of free movement of persons and migration in West Africa by supporting the effective implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons' Protocols and the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration. One of FMM West Africa.

It said in line with the ECOWAS aspiration for regional integration, the FMM Project has supported the ECOWAS Commission to develop a Regional Border Management Training and Free movement End User Manuals.

It noted that the Manuals are aimed at providing ECOWAS Regional tools to enhance the capacities of border operatives and other government officials in achieving a more harmonised border management throughout the region and support the full implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement protocol.

It said the Border Management training Manual took stock of existing initiatives across West Africa region and international best practices.

It said it puts in context, the emerging trends and peculiarities of the West Africa migratory landscape and reflects the current operational practices and strategies to enhance service delivery.

'Free Movement manual cover the notion of free movement in a broad sense, that is, not only the right of entry, residence and establishment, but also the civil, economic and social rights necessary for its realisation.'

Based on the above, a four-day Training the Trainer's (ToT) workshop (first in the series of three) for selected Trainers of border officials from five ECOWAS Member states (including Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin and Niger) has been scheduled to be held in Accra.

The statement said the training is being supported under the Demand Driven Facility (DDF) implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) within the framework of the EU-ECOWAS funded FFM Project.

It said at the end of the Training, the five participants from each member state are expected to plan and execute a step down training for Cadet Officers at the National Training Academies.

ICMPD is an inter-governmental organisation with headquarters in Vienna, Austria and offices around the world, including in Abuja, Nigeria.

The purpose of ICMPD is to promote innovative, comprehensive and sustainable migration policies and to function as a service exchange mechanism for governments and organisations.