The Acting Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR and the Director General of the Customs Administration in Benin, Mr. Alain Hinkati, had engaged stakeholders from both countries on the possibilities of reopening the border.
The discussion came into being as concerns were raised to review the possibilities of reopening the border, as well as addressing the issue of administrative charges.
The Ag. CGC who was on a working visit to Republic of Benin said that the visit was to deepen collaborations in mutually positive areas.
His words: “The objective of the visit is for us to review friendship with the Customs administration of Benin and also to deepen collaborations in areas of common interest.
“The attempt which Benin Customs has done towards trade facilitation is something that Nigeria Customs will also be doing particularly to look at where we can use our processes to reduce the cost and time of doing business”, he explained.
At the end of the meeting, a joint communique signed by the two delegations read as follows:
The continuation of efforts to promote the ECOWAS trade liberalization scheme and the facilitation of the movement of goods and community products in particular;
– Facilitation of the issue of Laisse passe for a short stay in one of the countries of means of transport registered in the other country;
– The removal of barriers and other obstacles to legitimate trade and the establishment of Customs units when the traffic justifies it;
– Strict compliance with transit rules;
– Harmonization of the list of products prohibited by the two countries;
– The rapid integration of Nigeria into the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT), which already includes the Customs Administrations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo;
– Strengthening the fight against cross-border crime through cooperation, intelligence sharing and the pooling of resources;
– Holding meetings twice a year to discuss matters of common interest;
– The reactivation of the joint committee for monitoring trade and transit relations;
– The revival of consultation frameworks of border customs units with the active participation of the private sector;
– Promoting good relations with border populations, professionalism and tax compliance;
– Securing the international supply chain.
The CGC delegation also visited Customs facilities at the port of Cotonou, where the Ag. CGC was taken through the processes and operations at the port.
The visit was in line with Government’s drive to facilitate trade and improve Nigeria’s economy to become globally competitive.
Meanwhile, the Ag. CGC and his delegation had a private meeting with the President of the Republic of Benin, his Excellency Mr. Patrice TALON, on Sunday, 23rd of July, expressing the desire to initiate a new turning point marked by close collaboration in all areas.