UNDP, partners reopen border and security infrastructure for cross-border trade

The rehabilitated Customs and Immigration Office, as well as reconstructed police station and barracks, on the border between the Nigerian town of Banki in Borno State and the town of Amchidé in Cameroon’s Far North province has officially been opened and handed over to the community of Banki, Borno State, North East Nigeria.

The reopened border and key security infrastructure will aid in the return of local authority institutions, help to facilitate rule of law and security, as well as contribute to the strengthening of the economy through cross-border trade and movement.

According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Regional Bureau for Africa Director, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, “empowering local actors to work together is essential to reach our common goal to foster sustainable peace and development for communities in north-east Nigeria,”

Ms. Eziakonwa. stressed that “Obtaining the right balance through the humanitarian-development nexus requires the scaling and speeding up of development efforts. The Regional Stabilization Facility projects we are seeing at the border here in Banki, have enabled communities to restart economic and trade activities, thereby improving conditions and reducing needs.”

Director for Stabilization at the German Federal Foreign Office, Mrs Heike Thiele said that “the interventions under the Regional Stabilization Facility have not only contributed to the restoration of safety but have also helped strengthen the economy by enabling cross-border trade and movement”.

Mrs Thiele also noted that the “visit has given us the opportunity to engage with political leaders and people living in the insurgency affected border regions of Nigeria and Cameroon.”

According to Norway Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Lein Eliiv. “the violence in northeastern Nigeria has driven more than two million people from their homes, halted livelihood opportunities and has erased access to basic services, like healthcare and education.”

Responding to the gesture, the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Umara Zulum, explained that the facilities will help in the restoration of civil authorities in communities.

“The facilities opened today will allow people in Borno State to re-start cross-border trade between Nigeria and Cameroon and to feel safer when doing so. It will also further enhance our effort towards the restoration of civil authorities in communities and villages around borders”

He said “through the Regional Stabilization Facility approach, we are looking at long-term changes. When we build a school, it will remain for the next twenty to twenty-five years, and we can see that the number of attacks have reduced in areas where we have implemented stabilization interventions.”

The UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa Director, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, who arrived  Borno State on the 7th of October, after visiting Yaounde and Maroua in Cameroon, will have a number of engagements with Federal and State Governments, local communities, and national and international stakeholders with the aim of further enhancing partnerships for Nigeria’s recovery from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visit also aims at strengthening collaboration for meaningful and inclusive youth empowerment, as well as advocate for integrated responses to governance, peace and security challenges across the country.

Bilkisu Pai