By Olusegun Folarin
The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has promised regular engagements with key players in cross-border trade to enhance trade facilitation along the Idiroko-Igolo border.
The Controller, Ogun 1 Area Command, Mr Godwin Otunla stated this during an interaction with stakeholders in cross border trade at the Ìdí Iroko headquarters of the Nigeria Customs service.
Mr Otunla explained that the essence of the meeting was to foster candid dialogue, identify obstacles, and co-create practical, implementable solutions that would promote lawful trade across the Igolo–Idiroko corridor.
The Ogun 1 Area Command Controller who listed the existing challenges that had hindered trade, to border inefficiencies, regulatory bottlenecks, and security concerns, said efforts must be intensified to address the issue to restore the vibrant commercial activity witnessed before the border closure.
He underscored the importance of Nigeria-Benin economic ties, stating that the economic relationship between Nigeria and Benin Republic was not only vital to the bilateral engagements but also to the broader West African sub-region.
The meeting had in attendance representatives from the Benin Republic Customs Authority, trade associations, business leaders, clearing agents from both Nigeria and Benin Republic, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, and Customs liaison officers.
The key players in cross-border trade in their separate remarks highlighted several impediments affecting business activities at the border to include Multiple checkpoints, poor road infrastructure, inadequate space for handling large volumes of containers, tariff and non-tariff barriers, absence of effective dispute resolution mechanisms and persistent security challenges.
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