The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), led by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Dr Adewale Adeniyi, and the Benin Customs Administration, led by the Director-General of the Benin Customs Administration, Col. Raouf Malehossou Aboudou, have stepped up efforts to integrate their systems and harmonise border procedures as part of a joint plan to facilitate seamless cross-border trade between the two countries.

The initiative focuses on the development and modernisation of the Seme-Kraké Joint Border Post, with Nigeria and Benin working together to establish a more efficient, technology-enabled border system along the strategic Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Dr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this today,  Friday, September 11, 2026, during the launch and joint assessment of the Nigeria-Benin Republic One-Stop Border Post at Seme-Kraké.

Adeniyi said the Seme-Kraké project should be approached as a strategic border modernisation programme rather than a series of separate infrastructure repairs.

 

“What we seek to achieve here is that Seme-Kraké be treated as a strategic border modernisation programme, and not as a series of isolated repairs,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria and Benin are working towards creating a model Joint Border Post anchored on Customs interconnectivity, joint risk management, coordinated enforcement, secure infrastructure, harmonised procedures and accountable joint governance.

He said the success of the Seme-Kraké project could also serve as a model for modernising other border crossings across West Africa.

Nigeria, Benin to Connect Customs Systems

Adeniyi noted that the Seme-Kraké border already has key physical infrastructure, including lanes, parking areas, offices, a weighbridge and scanner facilities.

However, he said the major challenge remains the lack of full digital integration between the Customs administrations of both countries.

“Without interconnectivity, this is not a joint border post. It is two border posts sharing a car park,” Adeniyi said.

To address this, the Nigeria Customs Service is working with the Benin Customs Administration on a common data exchange arrangement that will enable declarations lodged on one side of the border to be visible to the other in real time.

The planned system will also support the tracking of transit cargo from origin to destination and allow risk profiles and enforcement alerts generated by one Customs administration to reach its counterpart in time for appropriate action.

The Comptroller-General said the modernisation programme would also involve the restoration of scanning capabilities, stronger access control, improved surveillance and lighting, as well as the establishment of a standing Nigeria-Benin enforcement and intelligence mechanism.

He added that both countries would need harmonised bilingual standard operating procedures covering cargo, passengers, inspection, transit and incident escalation.

Joint risk management and a properly empowered management structure for infrastructure shared by the two countries would also form part of the new operational framework.

Joint Efforts to Support Women Traders

Adeniyi also announced plans for a dedicated facility to support women traders operating along the Nigeria-Benin trade corridor.

The facility is expected to provide simplified procedures for small consignments, information in languages commonly spoken by traders, accessible points of contact and a channel through which traders can report poor treatment.

He said the initiative was designed to encourage more women traders to move into the formal trading system while reducing harassment, extortion and unnecessary delays at the border.

The Comptroller-General said the measure was part of the wider objective of making the Seme-Kraké crossing more efficient, transparent and responsive to legitimate traders.

Benin Customs Supports Joint Modernisation Effort

The Director-General of the Benin Customs Administration, Col. Raouf Malehossou Aboudou, expressed support for the joint effort and commended Nigeria for its role in driving the modernisation process.

Malehossou described the initiative as an important step towards improving cross-border trade and strengthening cooperation between the Customs administrations of both countries.

He assured that the Benin Customs Administration would work closely with its Nigerian counterpart to achieve the objectives of the Joint Border Post.

According to him, effective border management would require not only physical infrastructure but also stronger institutional coordination, digital interoperability, clearly defined responsibilities and investment in personnel.

“The bridge we see today provides a vital physical link between Abidjan and Lagos and beyond. Our historic responsibility now is to ensure that the movement of people and goods across this corridor is as efficient and seamless as the infrastructure allows,” he said.

He urged officials from both countries to move from assessment to implementation.

“Let us therefore get to work,” he said.

Joint Assessment of Seme-Kraké Border Post

The renewed cooperation was demonstrated on Friday when officials from the Nigeria Customs Service and Benin Customs conducted a joint assessment of the infrastructure and operational readiness of the proposed One-Stop Border Post at Seme-Kraké.

The exercise, tagged “Joint Nigeria-Benin Republic One-Stop Border Post Assessment at Seme-Kraké,” was held under the theme, “Leveraging the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernisation Project to Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade and Shared Prosperity.”

The delegation was led by Adeniyi and Malehossou, alongside other stakeholders, including traditional rulers and community leaders.

The programme combined the formal commissioning and joint validation of facilities with a press briefing, presentation and technical demonstration by the AfCFTA Technical Team.

Officials also carried out a structured inspection and border walk-through to assess the readiness of the facility, examine existing border processes and demonstrate the border-modernisation solution being developed to support secure interoperability between Nigeria and Benin.

Four major areas were prioritised during the assessment: the inspection and scanner lane; equipment condition and maintenance; cargo processing and space utilisation; and Customs processing and service points.

Officials reviewed the functionality of the generator, cargo scanner and weighbridge, as well as traffic flow and space utilisation.

They also examined maintenance and handover documentation, bilingual joint standard operating procedures, harmonised operating hours, ICT readiness and automated Customs data sharing between both countries.

Seme-Kraké Critical to Regional Trade

Adeniyi described Seme-Kraké as one of West Africa’s busiest land borders and a critical gateway along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.

He said the corridor carries more than 70 per cent of the sub-region’s transit trade, making efficiency at the border important to businesses, traders and consumers across West Africa.

“Every hour lost at this gate is multiplied across thousands of consignments and tens of thousands of travellers, and is paid for in the price of goods in markets from Cotonou to Lagos,” he said.

“Conversely, an hour saved here is saved for the whole region.”

He noted that although Nigeria and Benin operate within the same border environment, their Customs systems were yet to achieve full digital interoperability, particularly in the real-time exchange of declarations, manifests and risk profiles.

He disclosed that work was already underway to connect the systems of both administrations and improve the real-time visibility of declarations and the tracking of transit consignments.

Adeniyi also highlighted the importance of informal cross-border traders, particularly women, who account for more than 70 per cent of informal traders in Africa.

He added that about 22 per cent of Benin’s informal exports are destined for Nigeria, underscoring the importance of making the border more accessible and efficient for legitimate small-scale traders.

Seme Command Pledges Support

The Seme Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila, also expressed the command’s commitment to supporting the joint effort to improve cross-border trade between Nigeria and Benin.

In his welcome address, Kaila commended the Comptroller-General and the Director-General of Benin Customs for their commitment to strengthening trade and border operations along the Seme-Kraké corridor.

He said cooperation between the two Customs administrations would be critical to improving operations at the strategic border crossing, which plays an important role in Nigeria’s trade relationship with Benin and the wider West African market.

Under the renewed operational framework, the Seme Command will continue to facilitate legitimate trade while maintaining border security, protecting government revenue and enforcing applicable laws and restrictions.

The Nigeria-Benin initiative is expected to deepen regional economic integration, reduce trade barriers, strengthen border security and improve the movement of goods and people between the two countries.

For Nigeria and Benin, the objective is not simply to have two better-equipped border posts, but to build a genuinely coordinated border system where Customs administrations can share information, manage risks jointly and process legitimate trade more efficiently.

The success of the Seme-Kraké Joint Border Post will therefore depend on sustained cooperation between both countries and the implementation of the digital, operational and institutional reforms identified during the joint assessment.

 

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