The acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi has announced that Nigerian importers would soon have the opportunity to “clear their goods from the ports in Cotonou, Benin Republic.”
This announcement took place in Abuja following a two-day working visit by the director-general and senior officials of the customs service of Benin Republic.
During the two-day meeting, customs personnel from both countries engaged in discussions and reached various agreements aimed at “boosting trade relations between Nigeria and the Benin Republic.
He added that he had “substantially reduced barriers around trade corridors as the numbers of checkpoints have significantly reduced, “working with the police authorities, with a pledge to reduce them to the minimum possible.”
The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, explained that the details of the framework are being worked out.
Under the arrangement, Nigeria-bound goods would be assessed, and appropriate duties paid in the originating country with such duties 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.
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 “harmonizing the list of prohibited items with Benin Republic,” to advance the security function of the organization.
