A strong Nigerian delegation, headed by the Director General of Customs of Nigeria Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, was on a working visit to Cotonou on Monday, 24 July 2023, with Benin Customs. To reinvigorate bilateral cooperation by strengthening the two customs administrations. After the visit of Benin Customs partners, Webb Fontaine and Benin Control, customs facilities at the Cotonou Autonomous Port, the meeting with economic operators and authorized customs agents followed by the presentation of the projects, and the working session, the fruits kept the promise of the flowers. For the Director-General of Customs Alain Hinkati, it is a visit designed to create a new beginning in cooperation between the two administrations with regard to improving collaboration for a fluid exchange between Benin and Nigeria. « You know that Benin and Nigeria are brotherly countries. We have historical ties, cultural ties and strong business relationships that need to be strengthened today. We are in a context of reforms at the level of both countries, at the level of customs administrations. The administrations want to modernize. They are now relying on technological innovations and improving their procedures. All these efforts are being made by governments to take advantage of the potential for mobilizing revenue, strengthening security at our different borders. », he said.

Clearly, this working visit enabled us to assess the situation of the relationship by reviewing the reforms of the different administrations and to identify the points of improvement of the relationship. Suggestions were made by stakeholders. « This has helped to define a set of points on which we will be able to work in order to improve and make the difference for the coming years. »said Alain Hinkati, while accepting the invitation of the Director General of Customs of Nigeria Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to visit Nigeria in the coming days to learn about the realities of Nigeria with a view to more concrete measures.