ECOWAS Free Movement Protocols, Migration Governance, and West African Integration: A Focus on Anambra Traders

The Economic Community of West African States' free movement protocol, which grants ECOWAS citizens the right to enter, reside, and establish themselves in member states, represents one of the most ambitious human mobility frameworks in the developing world and a cornerstone of West African regional integration. For business communities in Anambra State, a historically entrepreneurial society with deep intra-regional trade networks across West Africa, the practical functioning of ECOWAS free movement protocols directly shapes livelihoods, commercial networks, and community relationships. This study investigates the lived experiences of Anambra traders operating under ECOWAS free movement provisions, examining implementation gaps, harassment at border crossings, and perceptions of regional belonging between 2020 and 2024. A qualitative fieldwork methodology is employed, combining semi-structured interviews with Anambra traders operating in Ghana, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Cameroon with key informant discussions with ECOWAS department officials and civil society organizations focused on migration rights. The analytical framework draws on regional integration theory and the concept of everyday regionalism. Findings indicate that while ECOWAS free movement generates substantial economic benefits for Anambra traders, practical implementation is routinely undermined by unofficial fees, xenophobic harassment, and inconsistent enforcement of ECOWAS travel document protocols by member state border officials. The study argues that West African integration's human dimension requires more robust supranational enforcement mechanisms to close the gap between protocol commitments and daily migration realities. Keywords: ECOWAS, free movement, migration governance, Anambra traders, West African integration