… says it’ll boost trade, investment in Africa
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Seme Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, has called on the federal government to complete the Lagos-Seme border highway saying this would boost trade and investment in the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
The CAC 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, adding that it would also promote cultural diversity and peace in West Africa and the whole of Africa.
He said: “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 per cent 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.”
Nnadi who is the co-chair of the Joint Border Post also reiterated the need to optimise 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 optimised as global trade,” he said.
On his part, 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.