The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Customs administrations of Benin and Cameroon have intensified discussions with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on a regional border-modernisation programme aimed at facilitating cross-border trade and advancing the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The high-level engagement, led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, was held at Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on October 12, 2026, following a benchmarking mission to Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Border Post and technical assessments of the Mfum–Ekok and Sèmè–Kraké border corridors.
The discussions focused on reviewing assessment findings, identifying priority infrastructure and technology needs, and exploring financing and implementation options for an integrated regional border-modernisation programme.
According to the NCS, the proposed initiative combines digital infrastructure, harmonised Customs procedures, secure data exchange and institutional capacity development with investments in cargo scanners, weighbridges, access roads, electricity, connectivity, traffic management and modern border-processing facilities.
Participants also considered Afreximbank’s potential involvement in the next Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) and progress towards regional and continental transit-guarantee arrangements.
A major highlight of the engagement was the proposed Customs Declaration Exchange System (CDES), designed to facilitate secure information exchange among Nigeria’s B’Odogwu platform, Benin’s Customs Webb and Cameroon’s CAMCIS.
The system is expected to allow export information from one country to support advance preparation of import-manifest information in the receiving country, reducing duplication and improving the predictability of cross-border transactions.
However, the receiving Customs administration will retain responsibility for validating the information, enforcing national requirements, conducting risk assessments and authorising cargo clearance.
Although development and technical testing have been undertaken, further country-specific configuration, application programming interface integration, security assurance and pilot acceptance are required before the system can be deployed.
Findings from the July 2026 benchmarking mission to Beitbridge and subsequent assessments of the two priority corridors highlighted the need for coordinated investment in infrastructure, technology and border-management systems.
At the Mfum–Ekok border between Nigeria and Cameroon, the assessment identified gaps in reliable electricity supply, connectivity, information technology equipment, cybersecurity, technical support, scanner commissioning and coordinated single-stop processing.
At the Sèmè–Kraké corridor linking Nigeria and Benin, challenges included incomplete joint procedures and live data exchange, non-functional cargo-scanning and weighing facilities, unreliable power supply, traffic congestion, inconsistent operating hours and unresolved responsibilities for maintaining shared infrastructure.
The Beitbridge experience, meanwhile, underscored the importance of integrated border operations supported by traffic segmentation, pre-arrival processing, risk-based controls, cargo scanning, transit monitoring, electronic payments, technology command centres, reliable utilities and effective governance.
To move the initiative forward, Afreximbank proposed a two-stage approach beginning with independent engineering assessments and investment-cost studies at the two border posts, followed by the preparation of separate bankable project packages for the Nigeria–Benin and Nigeria–Cameroon corridors.
The proposed project-preparation process would cover transaction advisory services, legal due diligence, financial modelling and the identification of suitable implementation and financing arrangements.
The bank also outlined the potential use of its Project Preparation Facility, while technical partners TMP and Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited expressed willingness in principle to consider self-financing the preparatory work.
However, no final project cost, lending commitment, borrower designation, financing arrangement or implementation contract was established at the meeting.
Participants instead agreed on the need for direct site inspections, designated technical focal points, a one-, three- and six-month implementation roadmap, and a dated action matrix to guide subsequent engagements.
The Nigeria Customs Service reaffirmed its commitment, under the leadership of Adeniyi and his management team, to strengthening regional cooperation, modernising border operations and facilitating legitimate trade in line with AfCFTA objectives.
The proposed programme is expected to support more efficient cross-border procedures, improve cargo visibility, strengthen coordinated border management and contribute to the development of a more integrated African trading environment.
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