Nigerians to begins clearing goods from Cotonou ports – Customs

On Tuesday, Adewale Adeniyi, the acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, said that importers from Nigeria would soon be able to clear their products from the ports in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

At the conclusion of a two-day working visit by the director-general and senior officers of the Benin Republic’s customs department, he made this announcement in Abuja.

During the two-day gathering, customs officials from both nations made a number of agreements to improve commercial ties and combat smuggling between Nigeria and the Benin Republic.

“We are building confidence in the system offered by the Republic of Benin, and our importers are using their ports and vice-versa,” Adewale said in response to a question during the occasion. We work to establish trust in our systems if someone in the Benin Republic wants to use one of our ports.

And as a result of this arrangement, Nigerian importers who wish to use the ports in Cotonou will be able to have their goods cleared there since they will have the chance to pay duties on commodities that are subject to such payments.

“In the ports of arrival, we can account for the tariffs on those items. They can now enter Nigeria without restriction.

He responded to worries about car smuggling by saying, “It extends beyond cars. Duty can be accessed and paid for on any commodities arriving in Cotonou ports before they enter Nigerian territory.

“It’s pretty much the same as what happens when products enter through Lagos or Port Harcourt. However, we are still not there. We’ve agreed that we can operationalize this in principle.

“We will thus be focusing on the actions that we will take to arrive to that specific target. We will set deadlines for when we aim to reach that specific milestone, as was outlined in the communiqué.

According to Adewale, the alliance between the two countries will improve regional cooperation, trade facilitation, and customs administration.

“The occasion we celebrate today marks a significant turning point in our efforts to enhance cooperation, remove obstacles, and promote legal trade within the West African region,” he continued.