The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have agreed to strengthen cooperation on regional migration management.
The collaboration will focus on free movement, labour mobility, climate-induced mobility, return and reintegration, and migration governance.
The commitment was made during a working visit by the IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mrs Sylvia Ekra, to the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja.
A statement on the Ecowas Commission Website states that during the visit, the IOM delegation held meetings with the Vice-President of Commission, Anthony Ogunjimi; the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mr Dehpue Zuo; and the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Nassirou Bako-Arifari.
Technical working sessions were also held with various directorates of the Commission to review existing areas of collaboration and identify opportunities for stronger engagement.
Across the discussions, the two institutions took stock of their partnership and examined how it can respond more closely to the priorities of Member States and deliver tangible benefits for Community citizens.
The discussions centred on accelerating the implementation of regional commitments on human mobility and addressing displacement challenges across West Africa.
The two institutions explored ways IOM’s technical expertise, operational capacity and convening role could support ECOWAS-led priorities, particularly in strengthening migration governance and cross-border coordination.
They also emphasised the need to ensure that migrants, especially those in vulnerable situations, are protected and treated with safety and dignity.
The ECOWAS Commission stressed that cooperation should translate shared commitments into measurable results for Member States and citizens.
“Both institutions acknowledged that sustained high-level leadership will be essential to resolving persistent implementation bottlenecks,” the statement read.
The two institutions agreed to jointly identify priority actions, institutional entry points and realistic timelines, while exploring opportunities for joint initiatives and resource mobilisation.
The engagement reaffirmed ECOWAS as IOM’s principal regional partner in West Africa and underscored the importance of a long-term partnership based on ECOWAS leadership and regional ownership.
