Benin and Nigeria are partnering to use geospatial technology to strengthen border security, improve surveillance and facilitate legitimate trade along their shared frontier.
Officials announced the move during a strategic engagement at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Conference Hall at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post.
The initiative is expected to help customs authorities identify vulnerable sections of the border, curb cross-border crime and improve the deployment of enforcement officers, while supporting trade along one of West Africa's busiest transport corridors.
Speaking at the event, the Customs Area Controller of Seme Area Command, comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, said the initiative marked an important step towards improving border management, enhancing trade and addressing long-standing security challenges.
"The Seme border remains a vital trading corridor and has witnessed numerous challenges. With this geospatial initiative, some of those issues can be addressed and we can boost our revenue," Kaila said.
Labaran Ahmed, head of the Nigeria Customs Service's Geospatial Unit, said the initiative would pilot the service's border management application using the World Customs Organization's satellite platform.
"With this new tool, we will not only identify vulnerable points along the border but also strategically deploy our field officers to those locations for targeted operations and more effective results," he said.
Ahmed said Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, all ECOWAS member states, were among the countries implementing the geospatial technology. He added that the initiative had attracted wider interest across Africa.
According to Ahmed, following a recent training programme, Egypt, Kenya, Mali and Senegal had also decided to adopt the technology to strengthen efforts to combat smuggling.
The partnership builds on ongoing co-operation between customs authorities in the region to improve border management, enhance security and facilitate legitimate cross-border trade through greater use of digital technologies.
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