By Babajide Okeowo
The Customs Area Controller of Seme Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi has stated the urgent completion of the highway from Lagos to Seme Border will boost trade and investment in the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.
Nnadi while urging the federal government to complete the highway maintained that the corridor is important for the growth of trade, investment, cultural diversity and peace in West Africa and the whole of Africa.
The Comptroller, who is the co-chair of the Joint Border Post made the call during the Economic Community of West African State ECOWAS Monitoring Team’s Visit to Seme-Krake Joint Border Post between Nigeria and Benin at the Seme Border recently.
“Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is an important corridor for trade among West African countries, a melting point where our people share culture and religion. It is a very important place where we maintain relationships and peace with ourselves.
It is an important corridor in the sense that trade among West African countries, over 80 % of them takes place along these corridors
Because there is no littoral relationship with us in terms of trade, there is no vessel that takes cargoes from Nigeria to Benin Republic, Ghana or Ivory Coast, it is by road, it is, therefore, important to keep the corridor alive.
We appreciate ECOWAS for its contribution to the growth of business in the corridor.
“We appreciate the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the ongoing rehabilitation of the highway, if the road is completed, it will improve trade” he added.
Nnadi also reiterated the need to optimize trade within the region in line with the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“We need to improve the trade between and among West African countries. It is currently not optimized as global trade” he added.
Speaking, the Head of the ECOWAS delegation, Mr. Maliki Ashoke, Head, Road & Railway Transportation, Ministry of Infrastructure, ECOWAS Commission, said the essence of the visit was to take stock of all activities in the Corridor since the last visit over a year ago and hear the challenges being faced by operators – Customs, Immigration, and others from both countries.
“So basically, our reason for being here is to take stock of what has been happening as well as we examine the action plan that was prepared by Nigeria, Benin Republic as well as the ECOWAS Commission” he said.
Ashoke observed that the weighbridge and scanners in the corridor were not used, saying the usage of the weighbridge and scanners is very important and officers from both countries should be present during scanning and weighing.
