The immediate past National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Anthony Iju Nwabunike said in order for Nigeria to enjoy the full benefit of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, the government has been tasked to upgrade the country’s borders to SMART ones for seamless transborder trade.
Nwabunike made the call at the 2023 Annual Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) Conference and Awards in Lagos on Thursday.
Delivering a paper titled: “The role of the Customs Brokers in Sustaining a Viable Transborder Trade for National Economic Growth”, Nwabunike, who was represented by Barrister Ikechukwu Ukadike stated that Nigeria’s borders are devoid of equipment required of modern day land borders.
“Trade itself is dynamic and influenced by state policies regulating import, export and manufacturing or agriculture. What is allowed in one country could be prohibited in another country
“Whereas the World Customs Organisation (WCO) supports the concept of SMART borders for seamless Trade, Travel and Transport. Nigeria is yet to achieve SMART borders in the real sense.
“Nigeria being an Anglophone (English speaking) country is surrounded by neighbors that are predominantly (Francophone) French speaking, which on its own is a challenge when it comes to trade dialogues.
“WCO Members are encouraged to look at how they can strengthen their endeavour to facilitate trade and travel, whilst mitigating threats inherent in the cross-border flows of goods, people, and means of transport.
“Our “SMART” acronym stems from the following guiding principles: Secure, Measurable, Automated, Risk Management-based, and Technology-driven.
“The rapid and safe movement of people and goods across borders encourages trade, travel and transport, and Customs has the dual task of facilitating this flow while securing it. This is no easy task and Customs is expected to be focused and determined to achieve its goal”.
Commenting further on the peculiar nature of Nigerian borders, the maritime consultant noted that the country is still grappling with security in some border states, especially in the northern part of the country
He said due to inadequate technology for monitoring and evaluation, there has not been accurate template for measurements of the degrees of trade.