Nigeria, Benin Customs Partner on Geospatial Technology to Boost Border Security
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Customs Administration of the Republic of Benin have strengthened bilateral cooperation through a new geospatial technology partnership aimed at enhancing border security, improving surveillance, and facilitating legitimate trade along their shared frontier.
The collaboration was unveiled during a strategic engagement held at the ECOWAS Conference Hall, Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, where officials from both countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening existing cooperation in combating trans-border crimes while promoting seamless cross-border commerce.
Speaking during the meeting, the Customs Area Controller of the Seme Area Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, described the initiative as a significant milestone in modernising border management and tackling longstanding security and trade challenges along the busy Nigeria-Benin corridor.
According to him, the Seme border remains one of West Africa’s most important trade routes but has continued to face several operational and security challenges that require innovative solutions.
He expressed optimism that the deployment of geospatial technology would enhance surveillance capabilities, improve operational efficiency, and boost government revenue through more effective border management.
“The Seme border remains a vital trading corridor and has witnessed numerous challenges. With this geospatial initiative, some of the issues can be addressed and we can boost our revenue,” Kaila said.
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Also speaking, the Head of Geospatial at the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Labaran Ahmed, explained that the initiative would serve as a pilot programme for the Service’s border management application, leveraging the World Customs Organisation (WCO) satellite platform to improve intelligence gathering and operational response.
Ahmed said the technology would enable Customs authorities to identify vulnerable sections of the border in real time, allowing officers to be strategically deployed for targeted surveillance and enforcement operations against smuggling and other cross-border crimes.
“With this new tool, we will not only identify vulnerable points along the border but also strategically deploy our field officers to those locations for targeted operations and more effective results,” he said.
He disclosed that Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo are the pioneer countries implementing the geospatial border management technology under the World Customs Organisation initiative.
Ahmed added that the project’s early success has generated significant interest across Africa, with 19 additional countries—including Egypt, Senegal, Kenya, and Mali—signalling their intention to adopt the technology following a recent master-class training.
According to him, the expanded adoption of the geospatial platform is expected to strengthen regional efforts to combat smuggling, enhance border security, and improve Customs administration across the continent.
The partnership underscores the growing commitment of West African Customs administrations to harness digital technology and intelligence-driven border management in addressing transnational security threats while facilitating legitimate regional trade.
By PRNigeria
