On April 25th and 26th, 2023, Sierra Leone's government will host the Regional Conference of ECOWAS States on Ending Human Trafficking. A press release issued on April 13th announced that the conference aims to foster deep cooperation between ECOWAS member states in the fight against human trafficking.
The event, to be held at the Freetown International Conference Centre in Aberdeen, Freetown, Sierra Leone, will feature a keynote speech by the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Maada Bio.
The conference will bring together 300 participants from the public and private sectors, groups with lived experiences, and individuals, who will share experiences and collaborate to enhance existing laws, policies, and regional tools to combat human trafficking.
The objectives of the conference are to implement ECOWAS members’ respective TIP action plans, strengthen political support at the highest level, identify opportunities to strengthen regional data collection and sharing, increase awareness on human trafficking, and foster collective action across the region.