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As ECOWAS marks her 50th Anniversary in 2025, as an enviable Economic Community with a full fledged freedom of movement of persons, goods and services and a functioning regional Free Trade Area, the Transport Directorate undertook a 4-day monitoring and assessment mission to the Joint Border Posts of Seme-Krake between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, and the Akanu-Noepe between the Republic of Ghana and the Togolese Republic.
A statement on Thursday said that the mission forms part of ECOWAS efforts to support the operationalization and enhance compliance with the jointly signed Bilateral Agreement and the Manual of Procedures of the Joint Border Posts.
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These efforts are streamlined towards the 4 x 4 Strategic Objective of ECOWAS of facilitating trade and promoting free movement along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway.
The mission also engaged JBP stakeholders and border officials on the objectives and concepts of JBP including the expected standard practices for effective operationalization.
The Mission specifically assessed the current state of the JBPs, evaluated the implementation status of the most recent Ministerial Resolution between Nigeria and Niger, as well as between Ghana and Togo.
This included reviewing the level of compliance with the agreed Action Plans, assessing the functionality of the installed equipment and identifying any operational challenges and issues.
The Joint Management Committees of the two Joint Border Posts, have unanimously called for urgent high-level political support to help implement the provisions of the Bilateral Agreements and other legal frameworks setting up the JBP to ensure the full realization of the objectives of reducing border crossing times, cost, thereby enhancing the free movement of persons, and regional integration within the ECOWAS.
The project was part of the Regional Road Transport and Trade Facilitation Program in Support of Inter-Community Trade and Cross-Border Movements.