The project ‘Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM West Africa) aims to boost the development potential of free movement and migration in West Africa.
Countries
ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania / Benin / Burkina Faso / Gambia / Ghana / Guinea / Guinea-Bissau / Côte d'Ivoire / Liberia / Mali / Mauritania / Niger / Nigeria / Senegal / Sierra Leone / Togo / Cabo Verde
Status
Completed
Duration
June 2013
to
March 2021
Donors
European Union
Implementing Agency
The project was implemented by a consortium of partners, under the lead of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in close coordination with the ECOWAS Commission. ICMPD and the International Labour Organization (ILO) were the two implementing partners.
Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM West Africa) aims to maximise the development potential of free movement of persons and migration in West Africa by supporting the effective implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons' Protocols and the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration. FMM West Africa is co-funded by the EU and the ECOWAS Commission, and with a budget of over 26 million Euros, provides technical assistance and capacity-building support to the ECOWAS Commission, the fifteen ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania. Migration data management, border management, labour migration and counter-trafficking are the key areas covered by the project. All activities are steered by the ECOWAS Commission and implemented by an IOM-led consortium that includes ICMPD and the ILO. The Project Support Unit, which implements the project, is based in Abuja, Nigeria. The project commenced on 1 June 2013 and will run for five years.
The project consists of three components targeting the regional, national and local levels, respectively, and covering the following specific objectives:
- strengthen the capacities of the ECOWAS Commission to lead an intra-regional dialogue on free movement and migration issues and act as a platform for policy development and harmonisation
- strengthen the capacities of national institutions of ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania in the areas of migration data management, migration policy development, border management, labour migration and counter-trafficking
- promote the active engagement of non-state actors and local authorities in information and protection activities for the benefit of migrant and cross-border populations in West Africa
At the regional level, ICMPD's role involves capacity building and policy development support for the ECOWAS Commission in the areas of border management and counter-trafficking. In this regard, it is currently working on the development of an ECOWAS Border Management and Free Movement Manual. In addition, on a yearly basis, it supports the ECOWAS Commission's Trafficking in Persons Annual Review Meeting with its Member States, through, inter alia, reporting and training. ICMPD also renders its expertise in promoting dialogue by supporting the EU-ECOWAS dialogue and the ECOWAS donor coordination mechanism with partners.
At the national level, ICMPD leads the The Demand Driven Facility for National Institutions (DDF), which offers tailored technical assistance to national institutions in the ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania in the areas covered by the project. National institutions are invited to submit requests for assistance to the DDF according to their specific needs. More information on the DDF can be found here.
Mojisola Sodeinde
Project Manager
Matthias Esene
Project Officer