©Afreepress-(Lomé, August 17, 2017)- A workshop, organized by the Women, Democracy and Development (GF2D), took place on the 14th August 2017, in Lomé Togo. This initiative, with the theme, '' promotion d'une citoyenneté communautaire à travers la sensibilisation sur la carte d'identité biométrique et la lutte contre les tracasseries aux postes frontaliers du Togo '', was put into practice, to meet the challenges being faced by border users, by validating the baseline study made on “abnormal practices”, hindering the effective implementation of the ECOWAS rule on the free movement of people and goods in the Togo-Benin, Togo- Ghana and Togo-Burkina Faso land borders.

Some difficulties encountered by users crossing the borders of member states of the ECOWAS are; extortion of funds, seizures of goods and illegal removals, rackets causing delays in the transport of goods. This situation is the consequence of the refusal to implement the law or rule on the free movement of persons and goods in the ECOWAS area.

In collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and with the financial support of ECOWAS and the European Union (EU), the GF2D presented the results of a study carried out during its workshop in Lomé on abnormal practices” at border crossings and analyzed the results of this study. The GF2D informed that, the initiative will allow to intensify the campaigns of mass awareness to help the citizens of the ECOWAS space to know the texts and the possible remedies.

The free movement of people and goods at border crossings, said the Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Col Yark Damehame, is one of the concerns of the Head of State of Togo. "It is in this sense that we must interpret the unexpected visit of the head of state, Faure Gnassingbé, on June 8, 2017 to the border post of Kodjoviakopé-Aflao at the land border Togo-Ghana. Togo, he said, will fight for the removal of the obstacles that undermine the free movement of people and goods in the ECOWAS area. The country of Faure Gnassingbe intends to work towards the establishment of a biometric identity card in the area and the Common External Tariff (CET) and campaigns for the removal of non-tariff barriers.

The Minister announced an extraordinary summit on peace and the fight against violence in Africa.

Patricia I.