Customs Engage Stakeholders On Cross- Border Trade

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Nigerian Customs Service have concluded a stakeholders’ engagement designed to formalise and integrate informal cross-border trade.

The stakeholders’ engagement, themed ‘Mainstreaming Informal Cross-Border Trade and Data Collection for Enhanced Economic Development’, aimed to enhance economic development through organised trade practices and data collection, held recently in Saki, Oyo State.

The NEPC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, represented by the council’s  Director, Trade Information Department, Dr Joe Itah, emphasised the crucial role of border towns in Nigeria as trade hubs.

He said, “border towns are important trade hubs which should be more organised to bring benefits to the country.”

According to Ayeni, the engagement provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange experiences related to cross-border trade, including discussions on addressing the issue of poor road conditions in Saki.

“We have seen the deplorable state of the road, and we know that the government is doing something positive to ensure the road is fixed to serve the people.

When we go back, we shall talk about what the country is missing with the state of the road and something positive will be done,” he stated.

The NEPC boss also highlighted the importance of educating the public on the government’s data-capturing operations regarding cross-border trade.

He highlighted Saki’s strategic importance, stating, “the first was to Kebbi, where we toured four border towns. Due to Saki’s significance, we made it a priority to visit here as well.”

According to the Border Communities Development Agency, the country has over 2,000 border communities located in 105 local government areas in 21 states.

Punch news/Jamiu Ogunshe