Nigeria, Benin Customs Move to Modernise Seme-Krake Border for Seamless Trade
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Benin Republic Customs Administration have stepped up efforts to facilitate seamless cross-border trade with a joint assessment of the Seme-Krake border towards establishing a modernised One-Stop Border Post.
The assessment, conducted on Friday, September 11, 2026, was led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Director-General of Benin Republic Customs, Col. Raouf Aboudou.
Speaking during the assessment, Adeniyi said the initiative reflected a new level of trust and confidence between Nigeria and Benin Republic, while positioning their Customs administrations to play a leading role in advancing Africa’s trade integration agenda.
He said the initiative was anchored on the need for regulators to build the same level of trust that traders had developed in conducting business across national borders.
“Today’s assessment visit is the first major step we are taking in the manifestation of that trust,” Adeniyi said.
He explained that both countries had developed an interoperable computer system designed to connect their customs processes and facilitate transactions involving traders operating with the Nigerian naira and the West African CFA franc.
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According to him, effective connectivity between the systems would make cross-border transactions more seamless and create a foundation for harmonising other trade policies between the two countries.
“If we get the connectivity of our system right, we can build every other thing on top of this. We can begin to harmonise our prohibition lists. And that will be the beginning of a more meaningful economic integration between our economies,” he said.
The Comptroller-General said the initiative would deepen cooperation between the two Customs administrations and help reduce administrative barriers that could hinder legitimate trade along the corridor.
Aboudou described Adeniyi as a pragmatic leader and said the Joint Border Modernisation Initiative was consistent with coordinated risk management, which he identified as one of the core values promoted by the World Customs Organisation.
Also speaking, the Customs Area Controller, Seme Area Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, said the assessment came at a critical time for the sub-region’s busiest trade corridor.
Kaila said a fully functional One-Stop Border Post would eliminate procedural bottlenecks, reduce transit times and enhance transparency in cross-border trade.
He assured the visiting delegation that the Seme Area Command was prepared to support the initiative and contribute to its successful implementation.
The joint assessment is expected to strengthen cooperation between Nigeria and Benin Republic on border management while creating a more efficient and integrated framework for legitimate trade and economic activities along the Seme-Krake corridor.
By PRNigeria
