Stakeholders on Friday in Abuja made strong recommendations for the adoption of single visa and unified identify systems to boost regional integration trade in West Africa.
The panel made up of experts, while debating the topic of “Regional Access Visa, Identity, Mobility and Payment” at the ongoing West Africa Economic Summit (WAES), noted that greater regional integration will only be possible if the region accelerates the implementation of protocols on free movement of people, and harmonised digital identity systems.
The panelists which included Olusehegun Bakare, Foreign Affairs Minister of Benin Republic, Hannatu Musawa, Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Obi Asika, Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Chidozie Arinze, a Fintech expert, agreed on the need to adopt the policies as they will help in unlocking West Africa’s trade, tourism, and cultural potential.
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Bakari advocated for a unified West African visa system to promote intra-regional tourism and deepen economic ties.
He argued that the current barriers to movement, including high travel costs, fragmented payment system and identity systems, as well as visa restrictions have contributed in stifling West Africa’s ability to grow its tourism sector and leverage its cultural wealth.
“It’s more expensive to fly from Cotonou to Abidjan than to Paris. That must change. We need a single air traffic area and a Schengen-style visa system, at least among the coastal states, so tourists can explore the region seamlessly”, Bakari said.
Highlighting the region’s underutilised tourism potential, especially among Africans themselves, Bakari called for deliberate efforts to encourage West Africans to discover neighbouring countries.
“Too many West Africans have never visited a neighbouring country. We must promote intra-African tourism by removing visa bottlenecks and cutting travel costs”, he said.
He also stressed the importance of cultural tourism, pointing to Elmina Castle and similar heritage sites as prime attractions for the African diaspora.
“With 200 million Afro-descendants globally, West Africa is well positioned to draw visitors searching for their roots,” he said, noting that Benin is investing heavily in hospitality infrastructure to attract such tourists.
On the subject of identity, Bakari praised Nigeria’s push for widespread adoption of the National Identification Number (NIN), adding that Benin has enrolled 98% of its population in its national ID database. He proposed interoperability of national identity systems across West Africa to facilitate seamless travel and digital payments.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), echoed this sentiment, identifying fragmented identity and payment systems as a major barrier to regional progress.
She called for a harmonised digital identity ecosystem, built on the foundation of existing frameworks like the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) and the World Bank-supported WURI program.
“For the region to achieve seamless movement, we must unify our systems and data protection frameworks. We need a regional agreement that allows for secure cross-border interoperability of digital identities”, she said.
She also urged member states to align their national systems with the African Union Interoperability Framework, warning that operating in silos would undermine the shared goal of economic integration.
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Arinze, financial technology experts and payments industry leader, stressed the role of unified cross-border digital payments in driving trade and inclusion.
Referencing the European model, he noted noted that enabling smooth cross-border transactions is key to unlocking intra-African commerce.
“Payments are the lifeblood of trade,” said Arinze, who advocated for policy harmonisation across countries. “We’re supporting the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) under the AfCFTA to ensure that trade payments become part of daily life, not an exception.”
He emphasized that fostering competition, interoperability, and private sector partnerships are essential to creating a robust digital payments landscape in the region.
The panelists explained that while many smallholder farmers and microentrepreneurs make up a significant portion of the region’s GDP, their businesses often stagnate due to a lack of basic financial literacy.
“Building new fintech products is not enough. We must educate grassroots entrepreneurs on managing money, reinvesting profits, and scaling their businesses. That’s how we grow our GDP sustainably,” the panelist argued.
He added that easing cross-border travel for small traders, by using national ID cards instead of passports could transform their economic realities and foster a more integrated West African economy.
Obi Asika, Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), presented Nigeria as a cultural powerhouse with global influence, thanks to its music, fashion, food, and digital content.
He said initiatives like the Creative Leap Accelerator Program (CLAP) and the Origins platform are designed to empower young creatives and connect Africa’s cultural diaspora through digital tools.
“Culture travels faster than people—Afrobeats needs no visa. Nigeria is already everywhere culturally. We now need to scale digitally, financially and structurally to maximise that influence”, Asika said.
He stressed the need for collaboration between digital content creators, tech platforms, and national identity systems, saying, “The average Nigerian is 18 years old and on a mobile phone. What we deliver to them through that device can accelerate development.”
Participants agreed that regional integration is not just an economic imperative, but a cultural and identity revolution.
As visa reforms, identity interoperability, and cross-border payments become central to policy discussions, the hope is that West Africa can position itself as a unified economic bloc that thrives on mobility, innovation, and shared heritage.
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