Despite existing laws, particularly the Protocol on Free Movement, the Right of Residence, and Establishment,  governing   the free movement of persons and goods within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),the reality is quite different. An attempt to cross some  land borders within the ECOWAS region is enough proof.

Aliou* is a Nigerien, residing in Benin, and needs to travel to neighbouring Togo. He does not have a passport or ECOWAS biometric ID card. However, he does possess a Personal Identification Certificate for residents, which is a biometric identification document issued in Benin where he lives.

On this February morning in 2025, upon arriving at the Hillacondji border in Benin, in the parking area, intending to board a taxi to Togo, the taxi drivers’ demands are clear. They refuse to accept his Personal Identification Certificate. Without the ECOWAS biometric ID card, he will be treated as someone traveling without any identification, incurring additional transport costs. The same applies to his lack of a vaccination card.

This scene is commonplace at land borders, where very few travellers carry their vaccination cards or even their identity cards. Before boarding, drivers typically would collect money for the ‘passage’. If a passenger is hesitant, they are offered the option to cross using the pedestrian corridor, with the same process applied at the checkpoints.

For some drivers, it is even presented as an accomplishment. “I went to Lomé, and on my return, I picked up passengers, Nigeriens, and I had to help them cross the border. We agreed on a price; when we arrived at the border, while their luggage was still in my vehicle, I asked them to cross using the pedestrian corridor. Once on the other side of the border, I picked them up again,” a taxi driver shared, boasting. Stories like this are common at certain land borders within the ECOWAS region.

Transforming border areas into myth-free spaces

In the ECOWAS region, the community approach grants citizens migrating across borders the status of community citizens. However, cross-border or internal mobility is often faced with obstacles (administrative, economic, ideological, etc.)—for both persons travelling and their goods.

In addition to this, the communities of the ECOWAS region live on both sides of “make believe” borders. Some have their fields across the border of the country where they live. Likewise, they have family members on both sides. Generally, they have alternate routes to avoid official border crossings. These are sociological realities that are rarely assessed by the public administrations of the States.

In the face of such challenges at land borders, Jérôme Wagou, an ECOWAS official, provides some clarifications.

“No money needs to be paid at the borders. You only need to have travel documents to cross the borders. If your vaccination record is not valid, you need to get vaccinated to comply and cross,” he states.

If the money collected for various reasons at some borders sparks controversy, he stated, “in Côte d’Ivoire, there are vaccination centers at the borders operated by the Ministry of Health, so that if you arrive and don’t have a vaccination record, you can pay for the vaccines,” he informed Dialogue Migration.

According to him, this is not about harmonising policies but rather raising awareness among populations, law enforcement and authorities to facilitate regional integration and free movement at the borders.

Regarding the attitude observed at certain borders within the ECOWAS zone, Jérôme Wagou is categorical: “There is nothing to pay. You simply need to comply with the regulations. That’s why when people arrive without identification, they must first be counted before a mobile court hearing can be organised for them.”

According to rumors, being vaccinated at the border rather than before arriving there could have negative effects. His response to that was: “That’s false, it’s not true!”

“Vaccination protects the migrant against diseases they might contract where they are going. It’s a preventive measure. It cannot have negative effects because these products have been tested in several countries, whether in Africa or Europe; it contributes to the health of populations,” insisted Jérôme Wagou.

He explains that in 2005, ECOWAS established a policy for developing border regions, aiming to ensure that border areas are not closed off but rather are zones of exchange. “There are many income-generating activities in these areas that people may not notice,” he pointed out. These activities could help boost State coffers without having to rely on systematic fund collection at borders.

“A hospital can be built on the Togo side that benefits the populations of Benin. At the same time, schools can be built on the Benin side that also benefit the populations of Togo,” he suggests.

*Pseudonym used here.