By Steve Agbota
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Benin Republic Customs Administration have joined forces to combat cross-border financial crimes through the deployment of the SIGMAT platform, a shared digital infrastructure designed to enhance transparency, facilitate data exchange and detect fraudulent transactions across their borders.
Launched on Monday, SIGMAT seeks to digitise and harmonise cross-border trade between both countries.
Speaking at the official launch of the SIGMAT platform at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, described the initiative as a milestone in the shared vision of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin to enhance trade integration and foster economic transformation across West Africa.
“It gives me pleasure to be here in Seme this morning and I am indeed very glad to start by acknowledging the gesture of my colleague, the DG of the Customs Administration of Benin Republic, to work together for our collective efforts which we have taken to address cross-border issues affecting the two Customs Administrations,” Adeniyi said.
Providing historical context, Adeniyi noted that the project was conceived over a decade ago with the goal of digitising and harmonising Customs transit operations across multiple states.
“I’m sure you have heard a little bit of the historical context of this project which is aimed at digitising and harmonising Customs transit operations across many states,” he said. “Primarily, we want to improve the visibility of goods in transit. We want to combat diversion and fraud along the Nigeria-Benin corridor. We also want to use the platform to foster inter-agency coordination and collaboration between us and our stakeholders.”
He added that the SIGMAT platform will help simplify border procedures, reduce delays, and promote trade facilitation — a key driver of revenue and regional prosperity.
“Because we believe that trade fosters revenue and prosperity, we want to enhance free facilitation between our two different countries,” Adeniyi stated.
The Customs chief explained that the implementation of SIGMAT has already begun in several West African countries, including Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Ghana, and Togo, with support from the ECOWAS Commission and the German Corporation for International Cooperation.
“For us in Nigeria, SIGMAT reflects our strategic ambition to align with regional digital Customs standards and modernization of our trade corridor,” he said.
“While we are happy that we have some achievements that we can highlight — which includes the development of the SIGMAT application, currently standing alone and tailored for the Nigerian Customs landscape — we have also successfully tested real-life transit message exchanges with our colleagues in the Republic of Benin.”
Adeniyi also pointed out that the harmonisation of entry and exit itineraries at the border station, direct connectivity to the ECOWAS electronic hub, and enhanced collaboration between Customs administrations were all significant achievements recorded in the months leading up to the launch.
“In the process of doing this, we have encountered a number of challenges, and I’m hoping that during the presentation of the SIGMAT application, we will be able to address those challenges,” he noted. “But the most important one is that we will have to do more robust training and sensitization of our stakeholders.”
He emphasised the need for stakeholder engagement to carry along economic operators and other government agencies involved in cross-border operations. Looking ahead, he said the NCS plans to expand SIGMAT deployment to other key border locations such as Giro and the proposed new site in Samia.
“As a way forward, the Nigeria Customs Service is looking ahead with a lot of optimism, and we believe that in the near future, we will be able to expand the deployments of SIGMAT to additional border locations,” he said.
He further stated that bilateral communication between the two countries’ Customs administrations will be strengthened to support timely technical engagements. The NCS will also collaborate with GIZ and ECOWAS on capacity-building programs and centralized stakeholder engagement.
“For the purpose of governance, we will continue to engage with the ECOWAS SIGMAT Steering Committee to share lessons learned and support other members in their implementation journey,” Adeniyi added. “However, our launch today is more than just a technical achievement. It is a powerful demonstration of regional solidarity and institutional leadership. I urge us all to harness the momentum of this milestone to transform our trade corridors into engines of prosperity, security, and opportunity for the people of West Africa.”
Earlier in her remarks, Adidjatou Hassan Zanouvi, Director-General of the Benin Republic Customs Administration, said the SIGMAT platform is a crucial tool that will not only facilitate the movement of goods but also help clamp down on fraudulent practices that hinder seamless regional trade.
“We are here today for the technical launch of the SIGMAT platform, which is a very important milestone for the cooperation and the interoperability between Benin and Nigeria Customs, because it will facilitate the movement of goods and also will help our Customs Services to fight against any fraud,” she said.
Zanouvi noted that SIGMAT will also play a vital role in revenue collection and trade facilitation, particularly along the Abidjan–Benin–Nigeria corridor.
“The system will really solidify and facilitate the movement of goods from Abidjan, which is already in the SIGMAT system, all the way to Benin and then to Nigeria,” she said. “Also, when goods are coming from Nigeria to us via the corridor, SIGMAT will facilitate. So this is why we are here today, and we are really optimistic on what will be, after the launch, how people will use the system, and we are really putting an emphasis on the training, the sensitisation of all the stakeholders.”