Senegal - IOM and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) have launched a new publication on current policies, practices and trends in migration across the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member States.

The publication, which was commissioned by ECOWAS and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is the first comprehensive study on migration policies in West Africa endorsed by the ECOWAS Commission and will serve as a reference document on the migration situation and related policy framework across the region.

“Forty years after the foundation of the ECOWAS, it was time to take stock of the progress made and the challenges ahead in promoting free movement in West Africa,” says Stéphane Rostiaux, IOM’s Regional Liaison and Policy Officer for West and Central Africa.

The publication comes at a time when in West Africa, most people move within the region. This South-South migration is seven times greater than migration flows from West African countries to other parts of the world. Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria have become important countries of destination, hosting large numbers of labour migrants.

“These developments, the positive effects of migration for all involved, and migration flows directed towards other countries in the South are often overlooked in the media. West Africa tends to attract misleading media attention focusing on (often tragic) migration flows towards Europe,” Rostiaux adds.

Regional migration plays a crucial role in promoting development and poverty reduction. It also contributes to the regional integration process in West Africa and strengthens ECOWAS, which was established in 1975.

The regional bloc covers 5.1 million square kilometres and is composed of 15 Member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.)

The publication ‘A Survey on Migration Policies in West Africa’ is available in English and French. Parts of the study are also available in Portuguese.

For further information, please contact Stéphane Rostiaux at IOM’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa in Dakar, Tel.:+221 33 869 62 00, Email: srostiaux@iom.int