Transit: Togo and Benin connect their customs systems

Economic governance

Wednesday, 21 September 2022 15:37

Transit: Togo and Benin connect their customs systems

(Togo First) - Togolese and Beninese customs are now interconnected, through the SIGMAT module (Interconnected Management System of Goods in Transit). The connection ceremony took place on September 20, at the border post of Sanvee-Condji/Hilla-Condji, the southern border between the two nations.

Already operational in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, the SIGMAT module allows sharing of digital data between customs systems. Thus, it facilitates and secures the movement of goods through the region's various trade corridors by providing accurate information to customs officers.

Atta-Kakra Essien, Togo’s Customs Commissioner, welcomed the new connection saying it will make trade between Benin and Togo more fluid. He added that it would secure the global logistics chain and revenues while minimizing fraud.

This project is part of a bigger one initiated by the ECOWAS, which aims to boost regional integration through the automation of transit procedures across the WAEMU. It is backed by the ECOWAS, UNCTAD, the European Union, the World Bank, and the German Cooperation, among others.

Togo officially started engaging in the SIGMAT project in March 2019. At the time, the country signed an MoU with Niger and Burkina Faso, to get their respective customs IT systems connected.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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