The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Republic of Benin Customs have launched a technology-driven system - the Customs Declaration Exchange System (CDES) - aimed at making cross-border trade faster, more transparent and easier for traders, connecting the operations of both customs administrations while improving coordinated enforcement and harmonising border procedures. Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi announced it during the Joint Nigeria-Benin Customs meeting assessing the One Stop Border Post at the Seme-Krake border in Lagos, themed 'Leveraging the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernisation Project to Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade and Shared Responsibility.'
The CGI said the system should improve interconnectivity and establish more accountable joint governance. Focus on women traders: Adeniyi said women account for more than 70% of informal cross-border traders along the corridor, many facing harassment, extortion and delays; CDES is expected to simplify procedures for small consignments, provide customs requirements info in languages traders understand, and offer a dedicated complaint channel.
He said a key success measure would be whether traders avoid duplicated customs procedures - e.g., a truck from Cotonou to Lagos clearing the border once - and eventually crossing within an hour rather than spending an entire day. The technical team presented CDES deployment processes for both countries; the administrations are considering co-locating customs systems at the border, with systems expected to begin working within about three months once technical connections and administrative cooperation are established.
Benin DG of Customs Col. Raouf Aboudou pledged cooperation, saying success depends on joint commitment rather than policy declarations. Once interoperability is achieved, it could be a template for online border crossings across ECOWAS and the wider continent. Source: lagoslately.com
