Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Ghana's Minority Leader and Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, has urged member states to urgently ratify the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. He stated that delays in approving this protocol are harming regional integration, hindering trade, and putting West African citizens at risk. Afenyo-Markin made his call during a statement to the ECOWAS Parliament.
The protocol, adopted in 2018, aims to facilitate the movement of people across African borders. However, it has only been ratified by four out of fifty-five AU member states. This lack of ratification is weakening broader integration efforts, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). AfCFTA, adopted in the same year, has seen much broader acceptance with forty-nine countries ratifying it. Afenyo-Markin noted this discrepancy, stating that the political will to move goods has not been matched by an urgent desire to move people.
This issue is particularly concerning given rising insecurity in the Sahel region. Afenyo-Markin cited the killing of West African traders in Burkina Faso in February 2026 as an example of the growing protection gap for citizens. He also highlighted the disruption to the Ghana-Mali trade corridor due to recent militant attacks. Furthermore, he condemned xenophobic violence against African migrants, including Ghanaians, in South Africa, calling for accountability from South African authorities.
Speaking on the delays, Afenyo-Markin said, “These were not statistics. They were breadwinners, fathers and sons — the quiet engines of a regional supply chain.” He stressed that political commitments need to be converted into tangible actions. He also pointed out that the existing ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, signed in 1979, remains largely unfulfilled despite its architecture, like 90-day visa-free movement, being in place.
The implications of not ratifying the AU Free Movement Protocol are significant. It directly impacts the economic potential of the AfCFTA by creating barriers for people to move with goods. It also exposes citizens to increased risks when travelling and working across borders. Afenyo-Markin proposed establishing a Special Select Committee on the Protection of ECOWAS Citizens Abroad and a parliamentary resolution to press member states for ratification. He also called for a regional action plan to eliminate illegal checkpoints and create an ombudsman to address border abuses. Decision-makers and markets will be watching to see if these calls translate into concrete legislative and policy changes.