Methodology and acknowledgements This report was written by a consultant, Bronwen Manby, jointly commissioned by UNHCR and IOM to prepare a comparative review of migration, nationality and statelessness in the 15 ECOWAS countries. Field visits were undertaken to five countries from May to July 2014 — Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal — in which the author interviewed representatives of different branches of government involved in nationality administration, national refugee commissions, staff of international agencies and national non-governmental organisations, and members of communities who have had difficulties with documentation and nationality. The report was otherwise written on the basis of desk top study and the author’s existing knowledge. The purpose of the report is to inform an ECOWAS ministerial meeting to discuss the issues, and the best means of resolving them at the regional and national levels. The author would like to thank all those who met with her and shared their information, insights and stories; the UNHCR offices in each of the five countries visited for this research, who assisted in setting up meetings; and especially Emmanuelle Mitte and Alioune Seck of the statelessness unit in the UNHCR regional office in Dakar. In addition, field work was greatly assisted by Amadou Tine and other members of RADDHO in Senegal; by Albarka Saliha of Timidria in Niger; and by Fode Keita and Firmin Coker of the Commission nationale pour l’integration et le suivi des refugiés in Guinea. Particular thanks are due to Mirna Adjami, as well as to Anne Althaus (IOM), Kavita Brahmbhatt, Ibrahima Kane (Open Society Foundations), Laura Lungarotti (IOM), Emmanuelle Mitte (UNHCR), and Alice Sironi (IOM), as well as to Paul Koreki (technical adviser to the Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Civil Liberties in Côte ‘d’Ivoire), for their comments on the draft of this text. ii