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.
