10 February 2026

Workshop on free movement in West Africa brings scholars to Accra

MOBILE and the Centre for Migration Studies convene international workshop on mobility and governance in West Africa

From 27–29 January 2026, MOBILE co-organised an international workshop on “The Realities of Free Movement in West Africa” in collaboration with the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) at the University of Ghana, Accra.

The workshop brought together scholars from across disciplines to examine how legal frameworks, governance structures, and lived experiences shape mobility in the region.

Interdisciplinary contributions, presented in both French and English, explored the interface between free movement and everyday realities in West Africa. Discussions covered a wide range of topics, including the role of climate change, the social dimensions of mobility, migrant integration, and the emergence and consequences of technologies such as biometrics and ID cards for border crossers and ECOWAS residents.

The workshop was the result of more than a year and a half of collaboration and planning and marked the launch of the 20th anniversary of the CMS. Over the past two decades, CMS has established itself as a leading voice in migration and mobility research in the region, playing a key role in shaping migration policy in Ghana and across Africa.

In addition to planning the international workshop, MOBILE researchers contributed to the workshop through several presentations and chairing roles:

  • Sarah Scott Ford presented joint work on the legal infrastructures of mobility struggles in West Africa, proposing a conceptual shift away from viewing legal mobilisation as a linear response to rights violations and towards understanding it as a more diffuse and dynamic process.
  • Mamadou Faye presented his work on the externalisation of the EU’s borders, which delegates border control to third countries. This practice places West Africa, which has been defined as a transit region towards Europe, on the front line, often at the expense of migrants’ rights and ECOWAS’ commitments.
  • Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen gave an introductory statement for the workshop, and served as a panellist in a session offering advice on publishing and grant writing for early career researchers.

By joining forces, MOBILE and CMS sought to foster sustained interdisciplinary engagement with the realities of free movement in the ECOWAS region, with the aim of building enduring research partnerships and deepening collective understanding of the complexities and lived experiences of mobility law across continents.

] The planning committee outside the Centre for Migration Studies in Accra
The planning committee outside the Centre for Migration Studies in Accra

After three days of intensive academic exchange and open discussion, everyone at MOBILE extends sincere thanks to the University of Ghana for their warm welcome and excellent organisation of a highly successful workshop.

Pictures: Centre for Migration Studies

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