By AISHA COLE

Nigeria and Cameroon have begun a joint assessment of the Ekok-Mfum One-Stop Border Post to reduce trade bottlenecks, strengthen security, and promote regional economic integration.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Lagos.

The exercise, which has the theme, “Leveraging NCS Trade Modernisation to Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade”, brought together customs authorities, security agencies, development partners, and community leaders.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the initiative builds on existing cooperation between both countries.

Adeniyi said that in spite of the proximity of the two countries, the movement of people and goods across the border remained slow and costly for traders.

“We are taking something that works and asking if it can serve the region and continent.

“We received support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), among others,” he said.

He said the Nigerian and Cameroonian delegations had recently visited the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe to study best practices in joint operations and technology-driven border management.

According to him, technical teams are finalising a joint operational agreement expected to be signed at the forthcoming C-PACT conference.

He said the agreement would provide a framework for procedures, data exchange, and coordinated controls at the Mfum-Ekok border.

The Director-General of Cameroon Customs, Fongod Nuvaga, described the assessment as the first step towards unified border operations.

Nuvaga called for real-time data sharing and joint risk management to eliminate unnecessary duplication of cargo checks.

The meeting also marked the launch of the Mfum-Ekok Border Modernisation Initiative, aimed at digitising border processes, upgrading infrastructure, and aligning operations with AfCFTA objectives.

Officials said the success of the initiative would be measured by faster cargo clearance, lower trade costs, increased trade volumes, and improved border security.

They said the project could position the Mfum-Ekok corridor as a model for AfCFTA implementation. (NAN)