Customs, Afreximbank plan Nigeria-Benin, Cameroon border upgrade
By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced discussions with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on plans to modernise Nigeria’s borders with Benin Republic and Cameroon to…
The Nigeria Customs Service has long grappled with porous land borders, smuggling, and slow, manual processes at crossings shared with Benin Republic and Cameroon — chokepoints that have fuelled revenue leakages and friction in regional trade. Afreximbank, the Cairo-based multilateral lender focused on boosting intra-African trade, has in recent years backed infrastructure and trade-facilitation projects across the continent, including border posts, in support of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The talks reported here involve Nigeria's customs authority alongside its counterparts in Benin and Cameroon, suggesting a coordinated, multi-country approach rather than a unilateral Nigerian upgrade. Vanguard frames the development as discussions initiated by the NCS, while Nairametrics emphasises the tripartite nature of the engagement with Benin and Cameroon's customs administrations. Neither report yet specifies funding commitments, a project timeline, or which specific border posts would be prioritised — details likely to emerge as the partnership progresses.