The 773-kilometre Nigerian-Benin border is one of the most sensitive and economically dynamic cross-border trade corridors in West Africa, with the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post as its main hub of activity.

The authorities announced the move to strengthen geospatial surveillance during a strategic ECOWAS engagement meeting at the post. The move will help customs authorities better identify vulnerable sections of the border and reduce crime by deploying officers to strategic areas in one of Africa's biggest transport corridors.

The initiative will curb the current high rate of smuggling of petroleum products and other prohibited goods, human trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion, and jihadist incursion.

A Continental Tech Alliance for Safer Trade

The geospatial technology, linked to the World Customs Organization’s platform, is being implemented by Ghana, Cotéd'Ivoire, Togo, and Benin. Elsewhere in Africa, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, and Egypt are also adopting the technology.

The partnership between the two countries to this effect underscores the importance of cross-border protection for sustainable economic growth through intra-African cross-border trade.