In a daring action to reshape West Africa’s travel and tourism terrain, top-tier holiday facilitators convened at Accraweizo to spotlight the loopholes in ECOWAS border pact. From frontier slowdowns to lack of regional partnership among operators, participants called for concrete measures, led not by government officials, but by field experts.

This position was echoed in an interview with Amb. Ikechi Uko, Organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market and Accraweizo, who emphasised that real change in regional tourism can only be driven by those actively working within the sector. Janefrances Chibuzor writes from Accra

We realised the border officials were not truly adhering to the ECOWAS free movement agreement. Although we were allowed to pass, we encountered several obstacles. That led one of us to ask, ECOWAS protocol has been around for so long, is it time to reimagine it? Shouldn’t we evaluate what is and isn’t working?

From our findings, only the travel aspect appears to be somewhat functional, people can move, but the movement of goods is hampered, security is weak, and governance is questionable. Ironically, the tourism and travel sectors, which are typically under-supported, are the real success stories.

Because they are the real enablers. Transporters and tour operators have been the ones sustaining regional travel, but they’ve rarely worked together. So we thought, let’s convene them. First, to network. Second, to challenge one another. And third, to collectively propose improvements. That’s how the idea of a Tour Operators Summit came about.

Interestingly, ECOWAS reached out to us. Over the past year, they hane been attempting to engage more with tourism and travel, but mostly at the level of national federations. Now, they see the value of engaging directly with practitioners. They realised the actual issues with the protocol aren’t entirely ECOWAS’s fault, it’s in the implementation by sovereign states.

Many wanted to see this cooperation go beyond the event. They spoke about the need to lobby effectively. However, there’s a risk: when formal associations form, they often get hijacked by professional politicians who aren’t actively involved in the business. So for now, we are favouring informal, practical networking. If you want to do business in Senegal or Gambia, you now have real contacts to work with.

Yes. In fact, I have made it a policy not to share contacts after the event. We encourage people to show up, network, and build relationships. Africans often do business based on trust, referrals carry weight. If I recommend someone who turns out to be fraudulent, I’ll be held responsible. That is why attending events like these matters. You build trust directly.

We have started the networking. Next year, many of these operators are returning for Akwaaba. For example, we have 21 tour operators from East Africa planning to come solely to find West African partners. This is how we grow.

They asked us to compile and present a report based on the deliberations of the tour operators. I have asked them to identify five key issues and recommendations. We don’t want to impose a report from the top; it must be participatory, something they own. Once it’s done, we will present it to the ECOWAS president.

Implementation lies in the hands of sovereign states. Even though all countries signed the protocol, enforcement depends on local immigration officers who sometimes misapply the law. Legally, you could sue and win, but practically, these border officers act with impunity. Media and operators must keep highlighting these issues.

Not really. Each country retains sovereignty. However, if ECOWAS gives recognition to an operator or issues something akin to a regional travel ID, that could provide leverage at borders. When the Ghana Immigration saw we were guests of their government, they treated us better. Authority matters.

We have heard that before. States say they want to host, but when it comes down to logistics and support, the will is missing. So unless co-hosting nations bring real support to the table, like Ghana did, it won’t work. This isn’t a profitable venture for us; it’s more like Corporate Social Responsibility.

We are detailed. We plan thoroughly, invest our own time and money, and make sacrifices. For example, we once held an event in Gambia where flights cost over ₦1.7 million from Lagos. Who can afford that without institutional support?

NATOP President Alhaja Bolaji Mustapha made two strong points, one was promoting bilingualism to foster unity, the other was using AI to generate and distribute travel content. Others suggested unified visas and multi-country tour packages. From my own experience, I would say fixing border issues and enabling a multi-destination visa regime would transform regional tourism. Ghana already attracts American universities; if Nigeria joins seamlessly, the entire region gains.

Because our markets are not fully digital-ready. I gave an example at the UNWTO conference: the biggest online travel agency in Nigeria still runs the most physical offices. That tells you that even tech-savvy companies realise analogue presence is essential here.

It wasn’t explicitly stated, but implicitly, it’s a shift from complaining to taking action. From highlighting problems to implementing solutions. From saying “why not?” to simply saying “yes, we can.”

Closing remarks, Accraweizo is no longer just a tourism conference. It’s fast becoming a catalyst for regional transformation, proving that the key to ECOWAS’s free movement dream lies not in treaties alone, but in the hands of tour operators and transporters, those who move the people, and more importantly, the idea of West Africa forward.

Culled from berexnews.com