Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon Pilot Digital Customs System to Eliminate Border Delays
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced a pilot joint digital customs system with Benin Republic and Cameroon to simplify cross-border trade by allowing traders to submit customs declarations once instead of repeating the process at multiple border points.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on November 10, 2026, during a meeting with a delegation led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dehpue Y. Zuo.
Adeniyi explained that the initiative would enable customs declarations processed by Nigeria to automatically serve as the receiving country’s manifest, allowing the destination country’s customs administration to apply its regulatory controls without requiring traders to repeat the documentation process.
He described the framework as a system of “submission once, declaration once, processing once”, aimed at reducing delays, eliminating duplication and improving the efficiency of regional trade.
According to him, the platform also incorporates artificial intelligence-powered translation to convert customs declarations between English and French, enabling Nigerian and French-speaking customs officials to process transactions in their respective languages.
The Customs boss said the pilot followed a benchmarking visit to the Beitbridge Border between South Africa and Zimbabwe, which he undertook with delegations from Benin and Cameroon.
He noted that although the border facilities had world-class logistics infrastructure, the one-stop border arrangement was largely operational in name, with technology remaining a critical missing component.
Adeniyi said the experience reinforced the importance of digital integration in facilitating regional commerce, stressing that borders should facilitate rather than obstruct economic growth.
He added that he regularly visits border posts to assess operational conditions firsthand, sometimes without formal identification, to understand the challenges confronting traders and border personnel.
Read Also:
The Comptroller-General also observed that approximately 60 per cent of trade within the sub-region passes through a major corridor, arguing that improving its efficiency would provide a model for wider implementation across West Africa.
In his remarks, ECOWAS Commissioner Zuo said the Commission’s leadership had agreed to support priority initiatives aimed at strengthening free movement and regional trade integration.
He identified the establishment of a joint border post at Seme-Krake, along the Nigeria-Benin border, as one of the key priorities and proposed a meeting involving customs and other border management agencies from both countries to advance the initiative.
Zuo also disclosed plans for a baseline survey of checkpoints across ECOWAS member states, noting that security-related checkpoints could remain operational if their activities were properly coordinated, standardised and digitised.
He further pledged the Commission’s commitment to harmonising rules of origin and addressing non-tariff barriers that continue to impede the movement of goods and services within the regional bloc.
The ECOWAS official said intra-regional trade currently accounts for approximately 30 per cent of total trade in the sub-region, stressing the need to increase the figure to 40 per cent.
He emphasised that Nigeria, as West Africa’s largest economy and market, must take the lead in driving efforts to achieve the regional trade target.
Adeniyi also disclosed that the Nigeria Customs Service organises an annual forum for traders and private-sector operators to strengthen engagement and address challenges affecting trade facilitation.
He said the inaugural edition was held in November in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
According to him, both institutions have requested that Nigeria host the second edition, with the opening ceremony scheduled for December 8, 2026.
The proposed digital customs integration is expected to strengthen cross-border coordination, reduce transaction costs and improve the movement of goods across West African trade corridors.
By PRNigeria
