Social protection for migrant workers, refugees and their families in ECOWAS Member States and Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mauritania

The briefing note reviews the legal access to social protection for migrant workers, refugees and their families across ECOWAS Member States, as well as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mauritania. It highlights the significant social protection gaps in the region, where only 19.1% of the population is effectively covered by at least one social protection benefit. Migrant workers and refugees face additional barriers linked to nationality, migration status, informal employment, limited recognition of qualifications and structural discrimination. The note also examines the international and regional legal framework, including UN and ILO standards and the ECOWAS General Convention on Social Security, which establishes principles such as equality of treatment, portability of benefits, maintenance of acquired rights and coordination between national social security systems.

The review finds that migrant workers generally have broad legal access to existing social protection schemes, although important gaps remain, particularly for self-employed migrant workers, who are frequently excluded or covered only voluntarily. Legal coverage is relatively extensive for old-age, disability, survivors’, maternity, sickness and employment injury benefits, while unemployment protection and family allowances remain much less developed across the region. Healthcare coverage is widespread but varies considerably in terms of legal inclusion of migrants, particularly under non-contributory schemes. The analysis also identifies uneven ratification of key ILO Conventions and the existence of several bilateral and multilateral social security agreements aimed at facilitating the portability of rights.

Looking ahead, ECOWAS and the ILO are considering a range of actions under the EU-funded FMM West Africa II project, including reactivating the Committee of Experts on Social Security, strengthening ECOWAS institutional capacity, developing an action plan or roadmap, assessing implementation of the General Convention, and analysing practical barriers to accessing benefits. Proposed activities also include awareness-raising among migrant workers and refugees, capacity-building for national social security institutions, and promoting the ratification and effective implementation of relevant ILO standards.