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Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon deepen talks with Afreximbank on an integrated regional border-modernisation programme to boost trade under AfCFTA.
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Proposed Customs Declaration Exchange System will connect Nigeria’s B’Odogwu, Benin’s Customs Webb and Cameroon’s CAMCIS for secure exchange of trade information.
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Technical assessments expose power, connectivity, scanning, traffic-management and joint-processing deficiencies at Mfum–Ekok and Sèmè–Kraké border corridors.
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Afreximbank proposes engineering and investment-cost studies before bankable projects are developed, but no financing commitment or implementation contract has been concluded.
October 18, (THEWILL) – Nigeria, Benin Republic and Cameroon have moved to modernise their shared border corridors and integrate their Customs systems as part of efforts to accelerate cross-border trade and advance implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The initiative, being pursued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) alongside the Customs administrations of Benin and Cameroon and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), is expected to combine digital integration with major improvements in physical border infrastructure and harmonised Customs procedures.
At the centre of the plan is a proposed Customs Declaration Exchange System (CDES), which would facilitate secure exchange of information between Nigeria’s B’Odogwu platform, Benin’s Customs Webb and Cameroon’s CAMCIS.
The NCS, in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said discussions on the regional border-modernisation programme were intensified during a high-level working engagement at Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on October 12.
The meeting followed a joint benchmarking mission to the Beitbridge Border Post in Zimbabwe and subsequent technical assessments of the Mfum–Ekok corridor between Nigeria and Cameroon and Sèmè–Kraké between Nigeria and Benin.
Led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the engagement brought together representatives of the three Customs administrations, Afreximbank and technical partners to review findings from the assessment missions and identify priority interventions.
According to the NCS, the parties also examined practical pathways towards establishing an integrated regional border-modernisation programme capable of easing the movement of legitimate goods across the three countries.
Discussions covered digital infrastructure, harmonisation of Customs procedures, secure data exchange and institutional capacity development.
The proposed programme would equally require investments in cargo scanners, weighbridges, access roads, reliable electricity, connectivity, traffic-management infrastructure and modern border-processing facilities.
The parties also considered Afreximbank’s potential participation in the next Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) and reviewed progress towards regional and continental transit-guarantee arrangements.
Customs Systems To Exchange Trade Data
A major component of the proposed integration is the CDES, designed to allow the three countries’ Customs platforms to securely exchange information based on a common data model.
Under the proposed system, export information originating from one country could be transmitted ahead to the Customs administration of the receiving country to support preparation of import-manifest information before the goods arrive at the border.
The arrangement is expected to reduce repetitive documentation, improve cargo visibility and make cross-border transactions faster and more predictable.
It would, however, not remove the authority of individual Customs administrations to determine whether goods entering their territories satisfy national requirements.
The NCS explained that the receiving Customs administration would remain responsible for validating transmitted information, enforcing domestic requirements, conducting risk assessments and authorising final clearance.
Although development and technical testing of the proposed exchange system have been undertaken, Customs said more work remained before deployment.
Country-specific configuration, application programming interface integration, security assurance and pilot acceptance would have to be completed before the three systems could become operationally interconnected.
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Assessments Expose Border Infrastructure Gaps
The discussions in Cairo were informed significantly by findings from a benchmarking mission to Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Border Post in July 2026 and subsequent assessments of the two priority corridors involving Nigeria.
According to the NCS, the Beitbridge experience demonstrated that a modern border should operate as an integrated ecosystem rather than merely a collection of Customs facilities.
Such a system would combine traffic segmentation, pre-arrival cargo processing, risk-based controls, cargo scanning, transit monitoring and electronic payments with information technology command centres, reliable utilities, maintenance and coordinated governance.
Assessments at Mfum–Ekok, however, identified deficiencies in dependable electricity supply, connectivity, information technology equipment, cybersecurity and technical support.
There were also challenges relating to scanner commissioning and the implementation of coordinated single-stop processing.
At Sèmè–Kraké, officials identified incomplete joint border procedures and inadequate live data exchange between the relevant authorities.
Other challenges included non-functional cargo-scanning and weighing facilities, unreliable electricity supply, traffic congestion, inconsistent operating hours and unresolved responsibilities over maintenance of infrastructure shared by the two countries.
The NCS said the findings demonstrated the need for immediate intervention to address operational deficiencies while authorities develop a properly assessed and costed long-term modernisation programme.
Afreximbank Proposes Two-Stage Project Plan
To advance the initiative, Afreximbank outlined a proposed two-stage approach for the two priority corridors.
The first phase would involve independent engineering assessments and investment-cost studies at the border posts to determine infrastructure requirements and establish the likely financial implications of the modernisation programme.
The second phase would involve developing separate bankable project packages for the Nigeria–Benin and Nigeria–Cameroon corridors.
According to Customs, project preparation would cover transaction advisory services, legal due diligence, financial modelling and identification of appropriate implementation and financing arrangements.
Afreximbank also outlined the possible use of its Project Preparation Facility to support the process.
Technical partners, TMP and Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, meanwhile, expressed willingness in principle to consider self-financing the preparatory work.
The NCS, however, stressed that the discussions had not resulted in a final financing or implementation agreement.
It said no final project cost, lending commitment, borrower designation, financing arrangement or implementation contract was established during the engagement.
Participants instead agreed that direct inspections of the proposed project sites should be conducted, while technical focal points would be designated to coordinate subsequent activities.
They also agreed on the need for a clear one-, three- and six-month implementation roadmap and a dated action matrix to guide the next stages of engagement.
AfCFTA And Push For Seamless African Trade
The border-modernisation initiative comes as African countries seek to address physical, technological and administrative barriers that continue to hinder intra-African trade despite the establishment of AfCFTA.
The continental trade framework seeks to progressively remove barriers to commerce among participating African countries and deepen economic integration by creating a larger single market for goods and services.
However, delays at land borders, inadequate infrastructure, incompatible Customs platforms, cumbersome documentation and weak coordination among border agencies can undermine the benefits expected from tariff liberalisation.
For Nigeria, the Sèmè–Kraké and Mfum–Ekok corridors are strategically important gateways for trade with West and Central Africa.
Sèmè–Kraké connects Nigeria and Benin along the Lagos–Abidjan trade axis, while Mfum–Ekok provides a major land connection between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Integrating Customs information systems across the corridors could allow authorities to receive cargo information earlier, improve risk profiling and reduce duplication, while upgraded scanners, roads, electricity and processing facilities could ease physical bottlenecks.
The NCS said the initiative reflects its commitment under Adeniyi to strengthen regional cooperation, modernise border operations and facilitate legitimate trade in accordance with AfCFTA objectives.
It said it would continue engaging its counterparts in Benin and Cameroon, Afreximbank and relevant technical partners to advance the required assessments and clarify project-preparation arrangements.
The Service said the broader objective is to develop practical and sustainable solutions for the two corridors, improve cargo visibility, strengthen coordinated border management and support the development of an integrated African trading environment.
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