The ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Free Movement of Persons and Migration, convened the 10th Annual Meeting of ECOWAS Heads of Immigration in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the 3^rd to 4^th November 2026. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Freetown Declaration, through which Heads of Immigration reaffirmed their commitment to the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) as a travel document across the region.

Under the Declaration, Member States committed to ensure that, with effect from 1 January 2027, a valid ENBIC issued by any ECOWAS Member State is accepted at all official border crossing points as sufficient proof of identity and Community citizenship. This commitment applies regardless of whether the issuing Member State has begun its national rollout.

Member States were tasked  to also put in place the administrative and operational arrangements needed to recognise and verify the card. These include sensitising immigration and other relevant border officials, issuing clear instructions and procedures, and equipping border posts to verify ENBICs issued by other Member States, where applicable.

The Declaration calls on Member States to coordinate with their national identity authorities, submit ENBIC rollout plans with target dates to the ECOWAS Commission by December 2030, and extend coverage to border regions and nationals abroad. It further calls for the card to remain affordable and accessible, for issuance to be linked with civil registration, and for citizens, traders and border communities to be informed of their rights.

The Heads of Immigration requested the ECOWAS Commission to operationalise the monitoring and evaluation committee established under Decision A/DEC./01/12/14; finalise common technical specifications and a regional verification mechanism; report annually on rollout and border acceptance; mobilise resources; and transmit the Declaration and its recommendations to the competent statutory meetings for consideration. The Commission was also instructed to work with IATA and other relevant stakeholders on transmitting the Declaration.

In his welcome remarks, the Chief Immigration Officer of the Sierra Leone Immigration Service, Dr Moses Tiffa Baio, welcomed Heads of Immigration and delegates to Freetown on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone. He described the meeting as an opportunity to exchange practical experience and perspectives and called for productive deliberations that would move beyond policy discussion towards practical responses to migration and border management challenges.

Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Chief of Mission of IOM Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Sharon Dimanche, said regional integration should be measured by the improvement travellers experience at border crossing points. She noted that recognition of travel documents, harmonised procedures and efficient border services can facilitate legitimate movement, protect livelihoods and strengthen border security.

Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E General Birame Diop, the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration, Mr Albert Siaw-Boateng, thanked the Government and people of Sierra Leone, particularly the Immigration Service, for their hospitality and cooperation. He said the meeting’s theme, “From Policy to Practice: Deepening Regional Integration through Harmonised Migration and Border Management in ECOWAS,” underscored the need to translate regional commitments into operational practice. He reaffirmed that the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement depends on its implementation by Member States.

The meeting’s Chairperson, El Hadji Cheikh Drame, representing Senegal, said the participation of Member States reflected their shared commitment to regional integration. He stressed that free movement and effective border management are mutually reinforcing, and that border security is a shared responsibility among ECOWAS Member States.

In his keynote address, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Internal Affairs, AIG (Rtd.) Morie Lengor Esq., welcomed participants and spoke to the challenges facing Heads of Immigration, drawing on his own service in the Immigration Department. He said modern border management must facilitate legitimate travel while preventing the movement of criminals. The Minister also outlined reforms under way in Sierra Leone, including proposed legislation to replace existing immigration laws with a Sierra Leone Immigration Service Act giving effect to the ECOWAS free movement regime in national law, supported by ten sets of implementing regulations.

The Heads of Immigration agreed to review the progress of the implementation of the Freetown Declaration during subsequent  meetings.