Uche Cecil Izuora
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), alongside customs administrations from Cameroon and Benin Republic, has concluded a high-level benchmarking mission to the Beitbridge Border Post between Zimbabwe and South Africa, resulting in a Joint Communiqué on coordinated border management across West and Central Africa.
The mission, organised with the support of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework, brought together Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, MFR; Cameroon Customs Director-General Fongod Nuvaga; Benin Customs Director-General Colonel Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou; Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Acting Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Lonto Ndlovu; and Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu.
Speaking at the adoption of the Joint Communiqué on Monday, July 27, 2026, CGC Adeniyi described the mission as an opportunity for African customs administrations to move from discussions on border reform toward practical implementation of modern border management systems, pointing to lessons drawn from the Beitbridge and Chirundu border posts on institutional coordination, digital integration and leadership. He said sustainable reform depends on accountability, digital interoperability and skilled personnel, and that the mission had strengthened the region’s commitment to applying those lessons to trade facilitation and security.
Over five days, the benchmarking team, comprising NCS, Cameroon Customs, Benin Customs, Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited, and Bsmart Technologies, received technical briefings on the Beitbridge Modernisation and Concession Model, covering its financing structure, revenue management systems and border governance architecture. Participants also toured the freight terminal, cargo processing facilities, scanning operations and integrated ICT infrastructure at the post.
The Joint Communiqué identified two corridors as priorities for coordinated border management and One-Stop Border Post arrangements: the Sèmè-Kraké corridor linking Nigeria and Benin Republic, and the Mfum-Ekok corridor connecting Nigeria and Cameroon.
Cameroon’s Nuvaga called for collective action among customs administrations to remove procedural bottlenecks without weakening border controls, saying stronger regional cooperation would help African countries harness the opportunities created by AfCFTA. Benin’s Aboudou said the Beitbridge lessons offered practical pathways for improving border efficiency in West Africa, pointing to harmonised procedures and coordinated risk management as critical to seamless trade movement across the region.
Afreximbank’s Director for Trade Facilitation and Investment Promotion, Dr Gainmore Zanamwe, said the exercise was designed to expose participating administrations to the governance structures and operational models behind Beitbridge’s success, not simply its physical infrastructure, noting that accountability, coordination and measurable service standards are what drive performance.
The mission concluded with Nigeria, Cameroon and Benin committing to establish a Trilateral Strategic Steering Committee to drive implementation of the mission’s recommendations, alongside pledges to pursue harmonised procedures, digital interoperability, coordinated risk management systems and continued investment in personnel development.