Sierra Leone Telegraph: 25 March 2025:
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has successfully concluded a five-day high-level regional training workshop on responsible tourism and the free movement of persons, held in Banjul, The Gambia.
This strategic event represented a significant milestone in the implementation of the ECOTOUR Regional Policy (2021–2030), reinforcing the Commission’s commitment to harnessing tourism as a catalyst for economic integration, job creation, and sustainable development across West Africa.
Delivering the closing remarks on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs Massandje Toure-Litse, the Director for Private Sector, Dr Anthony ELUMELU, reaffirmed the region’s ambition to stimulate 10 million intra-community tourist movements annually by 2029.
He stressed the need for coherent policy implementation, grounded in practical action that benefits citizens – particularly youth and women – while enhancing regional competitiveness through harmonised standards and cross-border collaboration.
Also addressing the closing ceremony, the Director of Regional Integration and Head of the ECOWAS National Office in The Gambia, Mrs Ndeye Tabara Touray, commended the strong spirit of partnership displayed throughout the training.
She emphasised the centrality of inclusive engagement and sustained institutional coordination in driving a people-centred integration agenda: “This training has fostered collaboration among all actors and reflects our shared goal of inclusive development.”
The closing session culminated in a series of substantive recommendations aimed at transforming policy into practice.
Delegates advocated for the decentralisation of future training initiatives to ensure the inclusion of rural and border communities, which are pivotal to the regional mobility landscape. They also called for strengthened institutional collaboration with immigration and border management authorities, and proposed the introduction of cross-border simulation exercises to assess and reinforce the operational effectiveness of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services.
The workshop underscored The Gambia’s strategic role as a leading tourism hub within the ECOWAS region. The sector contributes approximately USD 85 million annually to the national economy, accounting for 20% of GDP, while providing around 42,000 direct jobs and an additional 40,000 indirect jobs.
The choice of The Gambia as the host country reflects its significance in fostering regional tourism cooperation.
Bringing together tourism professionals and policymakers from across ECOWAS Member States, the workshop formed part of the broader implementation of the ECOTOUR Policy.
This initiative aims to strengthen intra-regional tourism, enhance the competitiveness of the private sector, and ensure that tourism contributes at least 12% to the GDP of Member States.
Key priorities include harmonising hotel classification systems, promoting cross-border tourism circuits, and facilitating mobility for tourism professionals under ECOWAS free movement frameworks.
Participants emphasised the importance of a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to dismantling existing barriers to mobility, enterprise growth, and professional development—particularly for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The inclusion of immigration and border authorities in future capacity-building efforts was identified as a critical lever for accelerating the practical implementation of regional integration protocols.
As part of the closing ceremony, participants were awarded certificates of completion, recognising their active engagement and successful participation in the regional training. The certification underscores ECOWAS’ commitment to capacity building and professional development in the tourism sector, equipping stakeholders with the necessary skills to advance regional tourism integration and facilitate the effective implementation of the ECOTOUR Policy
Through this initiative, the ECOWAS Commission has once again underscored its resolve to advance a tourism sector that is inclusive, resilient and transformative – driving not only economic opportunity but also deepening cultural understanding, social cohesion, and shared prosperity throughout West Africa.
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