Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon are exploring a regional border-modernisation programme aimed at reducing delays in cross-border trade, improving customs operations and strengthening implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The initiative was discussed at a high-level meeting between the three countries’ customs administrations and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) at the bank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on October 12, 2026.
The engagement, led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, followed a benchmarking mission to Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Border Post and technical assessments of the Mfum-Ekok and Sèmè-Kraké border corridors.
According to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the discussions focused on possible investments in digital infrastructure, cargo scanners, weighbridges, access roads, electricity, telecommunications and modern border-processing facilities, alongside harmonised customs procedures and secure information exchange.
Afreximbank outlined a proposed two-stage approach that would begin with independent engineering assessments and investment-cost studies at the two priority border posts. The findings would then inform separate project proposals for the Nigeria-Benin and Nigeria-Cameroon corridors.
The proposed project-preparation process could include transaction advisory services, legal due diligence, financial modelling and the identification of suitable financing and implementation arrangements.
However, the meeting did not establish a final project cost, lending commitment, financing structure or implementation contract.
A key component of the initiative is the proposed Customs Declaration Exchange System (CDES), designed to facilitate secure information sharing among Nigeria’s B’Odogwu platform, Benin’s Customs Webb and Cameroon’s CAMCIS.
The system is intended to allow export information generated in one country to support the advance preparation of import-manifest information in the destination country. This could reduce repetitive documentation and make cross-border transactions more predictable.
Under the proposed arrangement, the receiving country’s customs administration would retain responsibility for validating information, applying its national requirements, conducting risk assessments and authorising cargo clearance.
Although development and technical testing have been undertaken, the system still requires country-specific configuration, technical integration, security assurance and pilot acceptance before deployment.
Assessments of the two border corridors identified infrastructure and operational shortcomings that could undermine the proposed modernisation drive.
At Mfum-Ekok, the assessment highlighted unreliable electricity, inadequate connectivity and information technology equipment, cybersecurity concerns, limited technical support, outstanding cargo-scanner commissioning and challenges with coordinated single-stop border processing.
At Sèmè-Kraké, the identified problems included incomplete joint procedures, limited live data exchange, non-functional cargo-scanning and weighing facilities, electricity challenges, traffic congestion, inconsistent operating hours and unclear responsibilities for maintaining shared infrastructure.
The NCS said the findings reinforced the need to address immediate operational weaknesses while developing a properly assessed and costed long-term investment programme.
The July 2026 benchmarking mission to Beitbridge Border Post in Zimbabwe also informed the discussions, highlighting the importance of integrating traffic management, pre-arrival processing, risk-based inspections, cargo scanning, transit monitoring, electronic payments and reliable utilities into an efficient border-management system.
Technical partners, TMP and Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, expressed willingness in principle to consider self-financing the preparatory work. Afreximbank also outlined the potential use of its Project Preparation Facility.
Participants agreed on the need for direct site inspections, designated technical focal points and a one-, three- and six-month implementation roadmap, supported by a dated action matrix to guide subsequent engagements.
The proposed initiative is expected to support more coordinated border operations, improve cargo visibility and facilitate legitimate trade across the two corridors, in line with AfCFTA objectives.
The Nigeria Customs Service said it would continue working with its counterparts in Benin and Cameroon, Afreximbank and technical partners to advance the assessments and clarify arrangements for preparing the proposed projects.
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