Breaking Border Barriers: Nigeria, Benin Republic Launch SIGMAT for Smooth Transit Operations

ZAINAB JUNAID

The Nigeria Customs Service and the Benin Customs Administration have launched the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit, SIGMAT, pilot scheme, marking a significant milestone in regional trade integration and economic transformation.

Declaring the official launch open on Monday, 19 May 2025, at ECOWAS Joint Border Post, Seme Krake, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, said the initiative is a major step towards seamless trade integration and regional economic transformation across West Africa, marking a significant milestone in the region’s economic development.

He noted that the SIGMAT platform is a flagship initiative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), aimed at digitalizing and harmonizing customs transit operations across member states.

“It was designed to improve visibility of goods in transit, combat diversion and fraud, enhance inter-agency coordination, simplify border procedures, facilitate trade while securing state revenue, and reduce delays,” CGC Adeniyi explained.

According to him, implementation began progressively with pilot deployments in countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Ghana, and Togo, with the support of the ECOWAS Commission and German Development Cooperation (GIZ).

“For Nigeria, SIGMAT reflects our strategic ambition to align with regional digital customs standards and drive the modernization of trade corridors”.

The CGC informed that the Service has completed all technical, operational, and policy prerequisites for SIGMAT deployment to show it’s readiness for the project.

“A dedicated SIGMAT application has been developed and integrated with the Unified Customs Management System. The service has also established connectivity with Benin and deployed the application at the Seme Area Command as the pilot corridor.

“We have embarked on the development of a standalone SIGMAT application tailored for Nigeria’s customs landscape; Successful testing of real-time transit message exchange between Nigeria and Benin; Mapping and harmonisation of entry/exit itineraries at the Seme-Krake border; Establishment of direct connectivity to the ECOWAS eHub, ensuring regional interoperability; Strengthened collaboration with the Benin Customs Administration through multiple bilateral technical meetings.

“These milestones do not only reflect Nigeria’s technical capacity but also depicted our unwavering commitment to regional integration”.

Despite the successes, the CGC posited that certain challenges have delayed full rollout, including deployment of new clearance applications and delays in technical feedback.

However, the Agency proposed to expand SIGMAT deployment to additional border locations, Establish a joint SIGMAT Monitoring Taskforce to track system uptime, message flow, and procedural compliance and collaborate with ECOWAS and GIZ on capacity-building programs inorder to address the salient issues.

“We take this opportunity to reaffirm Nigeria’s full support for the broader ECOWAS digital trade facilitation agenda, including: The expansion of SIGMAT to multimodal transport corridors (seaports, airports, and inland container depots); Alignment of SIGMAT data with emerging platforms such as the ECOWAS Regional Trade and Transport Observatory (RTTO); Collaboration on cross-border digital identity and risk profiling for compliant traders; Harmonisation of national legislation to support the legal framework for transit under the SIGMAT regime,” the CGC stated.

The official launch of SIGMAT connectivity at ECOWAS Joint Border Post Seme Krake by the CGC is expected to facilitate trade while securing state revenue.

CGC Adeniyi thanked the ECOWAS Commission, the Benin Customs Administration, and all stakeholders for their partnership and support.