W/African countries agree on border interconnectivity

The agreement is contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the five countries: Togo, Benin, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire and Nigeria after a meeting in Accra, Ghana.

It said that the interconnection would ease trade procedures among the countries.

According to the agreement, the interconnection would improve statistics exchange, transit monitoring and data sharing between customs headquarters and border points on the corridor.

The document also indicated that the parties agreed to harmonise and gradually increase the business hours at the borders with a view to provide 24 hour operations.

The document said the countries agreed to outsource the management of border non-core functions to the private sector to enable officials focus more on core control functions.

The five countries agreed to start supporting community services and amenities for border post officials as well as provide regular training for immigrations, customs and transport officers at the borders on international best practices.

The parties agreed to develop and implement coordinated strategies for road traffic control and law enforcement while working towards limiting the number of controls en route for cargo and passengers within 12 months.

The MOU showed that the Abidjan-Lagos Trade Facilitation and Transit Project (ALTTP) would be financed by the International Development Association and the European Union while ECOWAS would ensure the implementation of the agreements.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stakeholders on the borders from the five countries met for two days in Accra to brainstorm on ways to ease trade on the 1,200 kilometres corridor.

The corridor was constructed to drive in the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), but the procedures at the borders had led to long delays with the traders spending days at exit and entry points.

The stakeholders identified cumbersome procedures, multiple check points, lack of infrastructure, rising crime wave and cases of HIV/ AIDS as constraints to trade on the corridor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Gyang Buba, who led top officers from the Immigration service and the transport ministry, signed the ALTTP agreement for Nigeria.