Nigerian importers will soon be able to clear their goods from the ports in Cotonou, Benin Republic, according to an announcement made on Tuesday by Adewale Adeniyi, the acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He made this announcement in Abuja at the conclusion of a two-day working visit by the director-general and senior officers of the Benin Republic’s customs agency.
In order to improve economic relations between Nigeria and the Benin Republic and combat smuggling, customs officials from both nations reached a number of agreements during the two-day summit.
During the event, Adewale responded to a question by saying, “We are increasing our trust in the system provided by the Republic of Benin, and our importers are using their ports and vice versa. If anyone in the Benin Republic wants to use our ports, we work to earn their trust.
“And thanks to this arrangement, Nigerian importers who want to use the ports in Cotonou can have their goods cleared there since there will be a chance for them to pay customs on commodities that are subject to paying duties.
“We can keep track of the taxes paid on those items in the ports of arrival. Therefore, they can now enter Nigeria freely.
In response to worries about automobile smuggling, he replied, “It extends beyond automobiles. Any commodities arriving at Cotonou ports may be subject to duty and may be paid for; after that, they enter Nigerian territory.
“It is essentially the same as what occurs when products enter through Port Harcourt or Lagos. But we still haven’t arrived. In principle, we have agreed that we can operationalize this.
So, the things we will be focusing on are the steps we will take to get to that specific target. The communication said that we would set deadlines for when we hoped to reach that specific milestone.
Adewale claimed that the alliance will improve regional collaboration, commercial facilitation, and customs administration.
He continued, “The event we celebrate today is a critical turning point in our efforts to improve cooperation, remove obstacles, and promote legal trade throughout the West African region.
