The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially launched the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post, aiming to digitalize and harmonizes trade operations along the Nigeria-Benin Republic corridor. The initiative, which took over a decade to materialize, was introduced on Monday in partnership with the Benin Republic Customs Administration.
According to the Comptroller-General of Customs, the platform is designed to strengthen the monitoring of goods in transit, curb diversion and fraud, and improve coordination between border agencies. “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 said.
SIGMAT has already been deployed in several West African countries, including Niger, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Togo, with support from the ECOWAS Commission and the German Development Corporation (GIZ). Its rollout in Nigeria and Benin marks another step toward regional trade integration and the broader ECOWAS goal of seamless cross-border movement.
The digital system will improve the visibility of transit goods, simplify customs procedures, and reduce delays for traders, thereby strengthening economic cooperation between both nations.
While the system’s launch was not without challenges, the Customs Service is focusing on intensive training and stakeholder engagement to ensure smooth implementation and adoption. “We will have to put in place a robust stakeholder engagement to ensure that we carry not only those economic operators but also other agencies of government that will be involved in this,” the CGC added.
The implementation of SIGMAT signals a significant step forward for trade facilitation in West Africa, offering a more transparent, efficient, and secure transit environment for regional commerce.
