Nigeria's Customs Service has joined counterparts in Benin and Cameroon to develop a regional border modernisation programme with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a project intended to lower trade costs, ease customs processing and support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The NCS said in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday that the talks were held at Afreximbank's headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on October 12, 2026. The meeting, led by Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi, brought together the three customs administrations, Afreximbank and technical partners to review assessment findings and set priority interventions along the Nigeria-Benin and Nigeria-Cameroon corridors.
A central element of the discussions was the Customs Declarations Exchange System (CDES), a proposed mechanism for secure information exchange across the digital customs platforms of the three countries. It is designed to link Nigeria's B'Odogwu platform, Benin's Customs Webb and Cameroon's Customs Information System (CAMCIS), so that export information created in one country can support advance preparation of import documentation in the receiving country.
The system would operate on a common data model, but NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada explained that the receiving country's customs administration would still validate the information, apply national regulations, conduct risk assessments and authorise cargo clearance. Although development and technical testing have been completed, further country-specific configuration, application programming interface integration, security assessments and pilot acceptance are required before deployment.
The parties also discussed Afreximbank's possible participation in the next Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) and progress on regional and continental transit guarantee arrangements. These are intended to strengthen coordination among customs authorities, improve cargo visibility and remove procedural bottlenecks affecting regional trade.
Assessments of the two priority corridors identified operational and infrastructure weaknesses. At the Mfum-Ekok border between Nigeria and Cameroon, officials found unreliable electricity, poor connectivity, inadequate information technology equipment, cybersecurity concerns and insufficient technical support. The corridor also requires commissioned cargo scanners and coordinated single-stop border processing.
