T
he Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Benin Republic Customs Administration have concluded arrangements to transform the Sèmè–Kraké joint border post between Nigeria and Benin Republic into a technology-driven model which will be treated as a strategic border modernisation programme rather than a collection of isolated repairs.
He disclosed this at Seme border on Friday, September 11, 2026; during the joint Nigeria-Benin Republic one stop border post assessment and commissioning tagged: ‘Leveraging the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernisation Project To Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade and Shared Prosperity,’ carried out alongside his counterpart, the Directeur Général of Benin Customs, Col. Raouf Malehhossou Aboudou.
The Customs boss said the objective was aimed at transforming the facility into a model, technology-enabled Joint Border Post anchored on Customs interconnectivity, joint risk management, coordinated enforcement, secure infrastructure, harmonised procedures and accountable joint governance.
“What we seek to achieve here is that Sèmè–Kraké be treated as a strategic border modernisation programme, and not as a series of isolated repairs,” he said.
He added that achieving the objective at Sèmè–Kraké would provide a template for modernising other border crossings across the region.
According to him, the existing facility has the necessary physical infrastructure, including lanes, parking areas, offices, a weigh bridge and scanner housing, noting that the two Customs administrations are yet to operate on a fully integrated system.
“Without interconnectivity, this is not a joint border post. It is two border posts sharing a car park,” Adeniyi said.
He explained that the NCS is working to close the systems gap through a common data exchange arrangement with Benin Customs, which would allow declarations lodged on one side to be visible to the other in real time.
Adeniyi said the system would also facilitate the tracking of transit cargo from origin to destination and ensure that risk profiles and enforcement alerts generated by one administration reach its counterpart while they remain useful.
According to him, the modernisation programme would also require the restoration of scanning capability, strengthened access control, surveillance and lighting, as well as the establishment of a standing Nigeria-Benin enforcement and intelligence mechanism
He further called for harmonised bilingual standard operating procedures covering cargo, passengers, inspection, transit and incident escalation, alongside joint risk management and a properly empowered joint management structure for shared infrastructure.
The Director-General of Benin Customs, Raouf Malehossou, also commended Nigeria for the initiative, saying closer integration of trade processes between the two countries would support economic growth across the sub-region.
Aboudou also commended the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for his pragmatic approach to strengthening cross-border trade and customs cooperation between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
He said the implementation of a joint One-Stop Border Post would significantly reduce the stress associated with cross-border movement for traders, travellers and other stakeholders while improving the efficiency of Customs operations.
The Benin Customs DG said the initiative would also promote coordinated risk management, one of the core principles of the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
He said, “The CGC is someone very pragmatic and committed to operations. They visited Zimbabwe to see how One-Stop Border Posts work there.
“To have a joint border post reduces stress for stakeholders, travellers and everyone that uses it. It gives birth to coordinated risk management, which is one of the core principles of the WCO.
“When there is smooth movement, stakeholders enjoy it, and when it is not smooth, they suffer it.”
Aboudou stressed that closer cooperation between the two Customs administrations was essential to ensuring the seamless movement of legitimate goods and people across the Nigeria-Benin border.
The joint assessment formed part of efforts by both countries to deepen regional economic integration, harmonise cross-border procedures, reduce trade barriers and facilitate legitimate trade.
The Sèmè–Kraké One-Stop Border Post is expected to strengthen coordination between the two countries’ border agencies by enabling joint processing and reducing duplication of controls and procedures.
He noted that Sèmè–Kraké sits on the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor, which carries in the order of 70 per cent of the whole sub-region’s transit trade.
According to him, it is among the busiest land crossings in West Africa and, by many accounts, on the African continent.
“It operates around the clock, every day of the year. A corridor of that weight does not fail quietly. Every hour lost at this gate is multiplied across thousands of consignments and tens of thousands of travelers, and is paid for in the price of goods in markets from Cotonou to Lagos. Conversely, an hour saved here is saved for the whole region. There are few places on this continent where the ratio between effort and effect is as favourable as it is at this crossing.” he stated
We need joint risk management, so that resources concentrate on high-risk consignments instead of seek to solve when we document these milestones with our Counterparts from Cameroon, (Benin and Nigeria) in Abuja in November 2026 at the opening of the CPAT 2026.”
He thanked the Government of the Republic of Benin, the ECOWAS Commission, the European Union, the AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank for what had been built and for what is still being built.
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