Journal of African Development

Introduction

West Africa, characterized by porous borders and significant population movements, is a major corridor for human trafficking, affecting men, women, and children. Trafficking is driven by endemic poverty, conflict, gender inequality, and corruption. Criminal networks exploit these vulnerabilities using both traditional and technologically sophisticated means to recruit, transport, and exploit victims. The international response has focused on strengthening border controls and fostering intergovernmental collaboration, but challenges remain between security imperatives and the protection of vulnerable groups.

Scope and Trends of Human Trafficking in West Africa

Prevalence and Victim Profiles

• Human trafficking in West Africa encompasses forced labor, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and child trafficking^[1][2].
• According to 2022 data, women make up the majority of detected victims—over 3,000 in key West African states—with men and children also constituting significant portions of trafficked populations^[3].
• West African children are especially at risk, representing a substantial proportion of victims trafficked for forced labor in agriculture, mining, and informal sectors^[4].

Table 1. Detected Human Trafficking Victims in Selected West African Countries by Gender (2022)

Note: Numbers approximate based on detected cases. Many cases remain unreported or undetected^[3].

Evolving Methods

• Traffickers increasingly use digital means—social media, encrypted messaging, and online job ads—to recruit and control victims^[2].
• Traditional recruitment through community figures and intermediaries is still prominent, especially in rural zones^[2].
• The trafficking cycle includes fraudulent job offers, false study/professional opportunities, and, for women and girls, coerced marriage and sexual slavery^[2][4].
• Movement between countries is facilitated through bribery and corruption at official checkpoints and border posts^[2].

Graph: Forms of Exploitation among Detected Victims in West Africa

Percentages based on detected cases, with overlap in some categories. Source: Interpol/UNODC^[2][4].

Border Control in West Africa: Policies and Practice

Border Dynamics and Challenges

• The ECOWAS region alone has over 200 officially recognized border crossings and hundreds of informal crossing points, making comprehensive control difficult^[5].
• Porous borders allow traffickers to bypass controls, particularly in regions affected by conflict and minimal state presence^[1][6].
• Weak state infrastructure, resource constraints, and corruption compromise border security and contribute to impunity for traffickers^[1][2].

Recent Security Initiatives

• Capacity Building: INTERPOL’s Project THB West Africa has focused on enhancing investigative capacity, regional information sharing, and operational cooperation among Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone^[1].
• Regional Roadmaps: The Freetown Roadmap (IOM, 2025) formalizes cross-border collaboration and joint anti-trafficking operations targeting key migration and trafficking corridors^[2][7].
• International Support: The European Union, especially through Frontex and bilateral partnerships, has deepened its engagement in Mali, Niger, Senegal, Ghana, and Mauritania, supplying equipment, surveillance technology, and training to border forces^[8][9].
• Technology Upgrades: Introduction of biometric border control systems, data-sharing platforms, and AI-driven monitoring at select border posts^[10][11].
• Community Engagement: Emphasis on local capacity-building, victim identification, and protection protocols at key entry and exit points^[1][12].

Graph: Map of Major Trafficking and Migration Routes in West Africa

This visual would depict primary overland routes from Benin, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire through Mali, Niger, and onward to North Africa and Europe, including high-risk border zones^[2][8].

Border Security Week 2025

• The West Africa Border Security Week (Accra, August 2025) convened agencies to discuss innovations, operational challenges, and emerging cross-border crime risks, with a strong anti-trafficking agenda^[10][11].
• Key topics included harmonizing regional protocols, technology adoption, youth/child protection mechanisms, and balancing security with trade and free movement under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)^[5].

The Intersection of Trafficking and Border Control

Smuggling and Trafficking Nexus

• Migrant smuggling networks often overlap with trafficking, especially for women and minors, who can be sold or coerced en route^[2][13].
• Extremist groups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria exploit trafficking routes for forced recruitment, sexual exploitation, and funding^[2][6].
• Trafficked persons are commonly found at mining sites, border towns, refugee/IDP camps, and transit houses operated by corrupt officials or organized groups^[2][1].

Tactics to Evade Border Control

• Use of forged documents, clandestine crossings at unmanned points, and digital communication to direct victims are on the rise^[2].
• Traffickers bribe officials, and in some cases, demand sexual favors in exchange for safe passage at borders^[2].
• Community complicity and local “redistributive corruption” systems ensure protection for trafficking operations, especially in remote zones^[2][9].

Table 2. Means of Crossing Borders by Trafficking Victims

Victims often utilize multiple methods during the same journey; based on qualitative reports^[2][13].

Data Insights: Gender, Age, and Country Patterns

• Over 60% of detected victims are female, with the majority being between ages 13 and 25^[3][4].
• Child trafficking cases, including for begging and forced labor, remain acute in the Sahel and coastal states^[4][3].
• Nigeria is a major source, transit, and destination country for trafficking, with extensive domestic and cross-border exploitation, followed by Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, and Senegal^[2][3].

Chart: Detected Victims by Age Group

Interpol/UNODC, 2024-2025^[3][4].

Obstacles and Policy Dilemmas

• Resource Gaps: National border agencies are often underfunded and lack cutting-edge equipment^[12][9].
• Corruption: Bribery and complicity of border officials undermines enforcement and aids traffickers^[2][9].
• Fragmentation: Disparate legal frameworks and data-sharing protocols hinder regional anti-trafficking efforts^[7][5].
• Victim Protection: Effective identification and referral are hampered by insufficient training and low victim trust in authorities^[12][7].
• Criminalization of Mobility: Enhanced border control can inadvertently penalize legal migration and reinforce illicit paths^[9].

Multilateral and Regional Policy Responses

• Adoption of harmonized ECOWAS anti-trafficking protocols and mutual legal assistance frameworks^[5].
• Development of joint border task forces and shared regional databases of traffickers and victims^[1][7].
• Strengthening referral and care systems for rescued victims, including community reintegration and cross-border return programs^[4][1].
• Expansion of local awareness campaigns, reporting hotlines, and peer educator programs, especially in schools and rural communities^[7][4].

Recommendations and Future Directions

• Integrate Technology and Training: Prioritize biometric registration, cross-border data sharing, and specialized anti-trafficking units at key crossing points.
• Address Root Causes: Target poverty, unemployment, and education deficits, especially for girls and rural youth, to reduce vulnerability to trafficking.
• Regional Coordination: Bolster operational cooperation between ECOWAS states, focusing on intelligence, surveillance, and harmonized frameworks.
• Combat Corruption: Implement independent oversight and community monitoring systems at border posts.
• Enhance Victim Support: Ensure trauma-informed care, safe return, and long-term empowerment programs for survivors.

Conclusion

Human trafficking in West Africa remains a grave challenge at the intersection of security, development, and human rights. Border control reforms and regional partnerships offer hope, but must prioritize both enforcement and protection. Addressing the deep-seated factors of trafficking while modernizing border management will determine whether West Africa can robustly defend its borders—and its most vulnerable people—against this pervasive crime.

(End of Article)

References

1. https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Human-trafficking-and-migrant-smuggling/Projects/Project-THB-West-Africa-phase-2
2. https://www.iom.int/news/new-regional-road-map-strengthen-counter-trafficking-west-africa
3. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2024/07/child-trafficking-west-africa-chance-return-home
4. https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/2024/GLOTIP2024_Chapter_2.pdf
5. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/01/west-africa-border-security-week-conference-and-exhibition-2025-holds-august-5-in-ghana/
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11612573/
7. https://enactafrica.org/research/interpol-reports/sex-trafficking-in-women-in-west-and-north-africa-and-towards-europe
8. https://www.interpol.int/en/content/download/23077/file/FINAL PUBLIC ENGLISH report_Sex Trafficking in women West_North Africa_Europe (1).pdf
9. https://www.statewatch.org/news/2025/july/new-report-examines-frontex-s-growing-role-in-west-africa/
10. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html
11. https://www.biometricupdate.com/202505/west-africa-border-security-week-2
12. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1550933/detected-trafficking-in-persons-victims-in-west-africa-by-gender/
13. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/8/447