Nigerian importers will now have the legal option to clear their goods through Cotonou Ports in Benin Republic.
Gatekeepers News reports that this decision, according to a communique issued on Tuesday, emerged as a key outcome of the two-day working visit between Mr. Alain Kinkati, the Director-General of Benin Republic’s Customs Service, and officials in Abuja.
The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, confirmed that the details of this arrangement are currently in the works.
This new framework involves assessing Nigeria-bound goods and paying the applicable duties in the originating country. These duties will be credited to the Nigerian government through the Nigerian Customs Service.
Adeniyi described the framework as a great progress in the sub-regional integration and trade facilitation efforts in collaboration with their counterparts from neighboring Benin Republic.
He added that he had “substantially reduced barriers around trade corridors as the number of checkpoints have been significantly reduced, “working with the police authorities, with a pledge to reduce them to the minimum possible.”
The Acting Customs boss also announced that plans are at the final stages of aligning its Information Technology (IT) system with that of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in order to curb smuggling of vehicles into the country.
Similarly, the Customs boss said that his administration is “harmonising the list of prohibited items with Benin Republic,” to advance the security function of the organisation.
