The agreement was reached during a high-level meeting held on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at the Ministère de l’Économie et des Finances in Cotonou, Benin Republic. The session brought together top officials, including ministers, Customs chiefs, and trade experts from both nations, to develop a unified strategy for smoother and more inclusive cross-border commerce.
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole, hailed the framework as a bold and strategic step in advancing West Africa’s economic agenda.
“This agreement signals strong political will from both countries to pursue a progressive and inclusive trade relationship,” she said.
Mrs. Oduwole recalled the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Presidents Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Patrice Talon during the West African Economic Summit, stressing that both leaders had directed their technical teams to transform political commitments into practical trade policies.
“Our joint commitment is to dismantle trade barriers, streamline logistics, and ensure that trade becomes a driver of job creation and regional prosperity,” she added.
She also highlighted the creation of four thematic working groups focused on trade facilitation, enforcement, data sharing, and infrastructure—a move she described as a model for regional cooperation.
Nigeria, she noted, is positioning itself not only as a key player in regional trade but also as a rising global voice for inclusive and equitable trade systems.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized the agency’s readiness to implement the framework in alignment with Nigeria’s broader trade priorities.
“What we’ve achieved today is the product of intense technical deliberations over the past 48 hours between Nigeria and Benin Customs authorities. The framework embodies our Presidents’ shared vision of economic expansion and efficient trade governance,” Adeniyi said.
He disclosed that a more formal Memorandum of Understanding is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2026, and revealed plans to introduce corridor-based solutions aimed at facilitating transit and transshipment trade, especially for small and medium enterprises.
“New trade corridors have been identified, and system connectivity between both Customs operations has already begun. This is how we remove barriers and drive real benefits for our people,” he stated.
The CGC also thanked his Beninese counterpart, Mrs. Adidjatou Hassan Zanouvi, Director-General of Benin Customs, for her close collaboration and for Benin’s support of Nigeria’s leadership at the recent World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
As part of the engagement, both delegations toured the Port of Cotonou to evaluate current port operations and explore areas for modernization. They also visited the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, a key symbol of both nations’ shared vision for coordinated border management and deeper integration.
The new joint trade framework is expected to usher in a new era of bilateral cooperation, emphasizing transparency, technology-driven trade facilitation, and mutual economic growth between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
