Despite significant financial investment, the infrastructure at the Nigeria-Benin Republic Seme border is in a state of disrepair, a matter of concern for the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Omar Touray.
Mr. Touray’s remarks followed his visit on Wednesday, May 7 to the Nigeria-Benin Seme border in Lagos.
This key West African trade route was the focus of his assessment, which aimed to understand the implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and Services and to detect any existing challenges.
Touray urged immediate reforms to protect the region’s free movement protocol and promised to submit a comprehensive report with recommendations to tackle the infrastructure decline and eliminate cross-border barriers.
The ECOWAS president also called on border security officials and national authorities to align more closely with ECOWAS protocols.
According to him, while ECOWAS is responsible for initiating infrastructure, maintenance is the responsibility of individual member states.
Touray also expressed concern over the numerous checkpoints within member states, noting that it undermines the ECOWAS free movement protocol’s intent.
He said: “Why do we have multiple customs and immigration posts for the same corridor? It frustrates travellers, delays trade, and creates opportunities for corruption.”
Touray called for transparency and urged officials to clamp down on illicit payments.
The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme’s free movement protocol does not negate the requirement for proper documentation, he pointed out.
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