By ebosele@hotmail.com –
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to coordinated border management, trade facilitation and regional economic integration following a high-level benchmarking mission to the Beitbridge Border Post between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The five-day mission, supported by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), brought together the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, alongside the Director-General of Cameroon Customs, Fongod Nuvaga, the Director-General of Benin Customs, Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou, Acting Commissioner of Customs and Excise at the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Lonto Ndlovu, and Chairman of Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited, Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu.
The exercise formed part of ongoing efforts to deepen intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by exposing participating customs administrations to best practices in modern border management.
Speaking during the adoption of the Joint Communiqué on Monday, July 27, 2026, Adeniyi described the mission as a strategic opportunity for African customs administrations to move beyond policy discussions and embrace the practical implementation of modern border management systems.
According to him, lessons from the Beitbridge and Chirundu border posts in Zimbabwe demonstrated that successful border reforms require coordinated institutional frameworks, digital integration and collaborative leadership.
“Beitbridge has demonstrated that border modernisation is not merely about infrastructure development. The most important lesson for us is that sustainable reform depends on coordinated institutions, clear accountability, digital interoperability and professional human capital. We are leaving here with a renewed commitment to translate these lessons into practical solutions that will strengthen trade facilitation, security and economic growth across our region,” Adeniyi stated.
The benchmarking mission featured technical sessions, executive briefings and facility tours by various border agencies in Zimbabwe.
The technical team, comprising officials from the Nigeria Customs Service, Cameroon Customs Administration, Benin Customs Administration, Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited and Bsmart Technologies, briefed participants on the Beitbridge Modernisation and Concession Model, including its financing structure, operational framework, revenue management systems and coordinated border governance architecture.
Delegates also toured freight terminals, cargo processing facilities, scanning operations, traffic segmentation systems and integrated ICT infrastructure that support seamless border operations.
The visits provided firsthand insight into how technology, institutional coordination and performance management have transformed one of Africa’s busiest border crossings into a model for efficient trade facilitation.
According to the Joint Communiqué signed at the end of the mission, the initiative was conceived as part of broader continental efforts to facilitate trade across West Africa and between West and Central Africa.
The communiqué identified the Sèmè-Kraké corridor linking Nigeria and Benin Republic, as well as the Mfum-Ekok corridor connecting Nigeria and Cameroon, as strategic routes that would benefit significantly from coordinated border management and One-Stop Border Post arrangements.
Also speaking, Cameroon Customs Director-General Fongod Nuvaga stressed the importance of collective action in improving trade corridors across Africa, noting that customs administrations must work together to eliminate procedural bottlenecks while maintaining effective border controls.
He said stronger regional cooperation would enable African countries to maximise the opportunities created by the AfCFTA and accelerate continental economic integration.
Similarly, Benin Customs Director-General Colonel Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou said the Beitbridge experience provides practical lessons for improving border efficiency across West Africa.
He emphasised that harmonised procedures, coordinated risk management systems and stronger institutional partnerships would be essential to achieving seamless trade movement and improved revenue assurance across regional corridors.
Earlier, Afreximbank’s Director for Trade Facilitation and Investment Promotion, Dr. Gainmore Zanamwe, said the benchmarking exercise was designed not only to showcase modern infrastructure but also to expose participants to the governance structures, operational models and institutional reforms that drive successful border operations.
“Infrastructure is important, but what truly drives performance is an operating model built on accountability, coordination, technology and measurable service standards. Those are the lessons we hope will be replicated across strategic corridors on the continent,” he said.
The mission concluded with the signing of a Joint Communiqué committing the customs administrations of Nigeria, Cameroon and Benin to establish a Trilateral Strategic Steering Committee to oversee the implementation of recommendations arising from the visit.
The three countries also pledged to pursue harmonised customs procedures, digital interoperability, coordinated risk management systems and sustained investment in personnel development to strengthen trade facilitation and regional integration across Africa.
