Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon Enhance Trade with Border Agreement

Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Cameroon have committed to enhancing intra-African trade by establishing a trilateral framework for coordinated border management. This agreement was reached after a five-day study visit to Zimbabwe's Beitbridge Border Post, organized with the support of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

The delegation included Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Fongod Nuvaga, Director-General of Cameroon Customs, and Colonel Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou, Director-General of Benin Customs, among others. Adeniyi emphasized that successful border modernization relies on coordinated institutions, digital integration, and professional human capital rather than solely on infrastructure.

The Joint Communiqué identified the Sèmè-Kraké corridor between Nigeria and Benin, and the Mfum-Ekok corridor connecting Nigeria and Cameroon, as priority routes for implementing coordinated border management and One-Stop Border Post arrangements.