A 35-member delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament is expected to visit the Liberian-Sierra Leonean (Bo-Waterside) and the Liberian-Guinean (Ganta) Borders, in Grand Cape Mount and Nimba Counties, respectively from September 28-30, 2018.
According to a press release, the Head of Delegation of Liberia to the ECOWAS Parliament, Bomi County District#1 Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe, discloses the visit is intended to afford members of the Parliament an opportunity to assess conditions associated with the movement of the peoples of the community transiting from one country to the other.
Rep. Snow says the visit will help to strengthen trade and commerce across the region.The visit is part of the Delocalized meeting of the Sub-Regional Parliament spearheaded by the Committee on Information, Technology and Broadcasting.
Members of the delegation will interact with locals, commuters and security personnel along the borderlines and also tour local media institutions across Liberia.The Parliamentarians will also assess the movement of ECOWAS’ citizens in Liberia and how they are treated by Liberian security apparatus at the various areas of residence.
According to the release, the delegation will this Friday, September 28, depart Monrovia for the Liberian-Sierra Leonean (Bo-Waterside) Border in Grand Cape Mount County and leave for Ganta-Guinea Border in Nimba County on Saturday, September 29.
In May 1979, ECOWAS member States adopted their first protocol relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment. It stipulated the right of ECOWAS citizens to enter, reside and establish economic activities in the territory of member states and offers a three-step roadmap of five years each to achieve freedom of movement of persons after fifteen years.
The first phase regards the right of visa-free entry, phase two dealt with the right of residency, and phase three concerns the right of establishment in another member State. The first phase has been fully implemented. The second phase, the right of residency, has also been implemented, given that citizens had obtained an ECOWAS residence card or permit in member States. The third phase, the right of establishment, is still under implementation in most member States.- Press Release
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