ECOWAS Steps Up Effort, Fixed Seme-Krake Border Facility to Improve Efficiency.
By Raymond Enoch
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has stepped up its commitment to regional integration and trade facilitation with a fresh wave of technical interventions at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post (JBP), the strategic gateway linking Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
From 3rd to 5th September 2025, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Transport, conducted a series of critical assessments and repairs aimed at boosting the operational capacity of the border post. The initiative, carried out in partnership with both Nigeria and Benin, targeted key infrastructure components such as the cargo scanner, luggage scanner, and the axle load weighbridge system.
These technical upgrades are designed to ease congestion, streamline customs checks, and accelerate the movement of goods and people along the busy Abidjan-Lagos Corridor, a major artery for regional commerce in West Africa.
The intervention comes under ECOWAS’ broader programme to enhance cross-border cooperation, executed in partnership with TradeMark Africa and other regional stakeholders. The goal is to eliminate persistent bottlenecks at key entry points and ensure the smooth implementation of ECOWAS protocols on the free movement of persons, goods, and services.
It would be recalled that the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, paid an exclusive visit to the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post in May 2025. His visit was aimed at gaining firsthand insight into the challenges on the ground and identifying priority areas for operational improvement. The latest intervention is a direct response to issues identified during that visit and reflects the Commission’s resolve to maintain the efficiency of its key regional institutions.
The swift action demonstrates ECOWAS’ responsiveness and strategic intent to strengthen regional integration mechanisms, particularly through functional border infrastructure that supports trade and economic growth across West Africa.
