ECOWAS collaborates with AUDA-NEPAD to train Border Officials Towards the Operationalization of Ekok/Mfum Joint Border Post

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission in collaboration with the African Union Development Agency- AUDA-NEPAD commences the training of border officials as part of the operationalization process under the Nigeria-Cameroon Multinational Highway and Transport Facilitation Programme.

The training which was held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja Nigeria from 10th -12th August 2021, also featured the establishment of the Ekok/Mfum Joint Management Committee (JMC) for the border post which will be co-chaired by the ministries in charge of transports of the two partner States.

In attendance at the meeting were Stakeholders from Cameroon, Nigeria, ECOWAS, Afreximbank, UNECA, AUDA-NEPAD, Zimborders and ECCAS.

Representing the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Infrastructure, Pathe Gueye, at the meeting, Mr. Ashoke Maliki, PPO, Roads & Railways and Project Manager of the Programme from the Department of Infrastructure highlighted the objectives of the Joint Border Post concept which is basically to strengthen the coordination and streamline procedural processes at the JBP with a view to enhance better sharing of data, revenue generation, and facilitate trade across borders.

He further emphasized that the successes of the Ekok/Mfum Joint Border Post relies heavily on the implementation of the Bilateral Agreement that clearly define their duties and what are expected of the Border Officials on the JBP. He therefore called on the JMC to study the Bilateral Agreement for better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. He concluded by urging the JMC to also study and sensitized transporters on the signed Axle Load Control Agreement between Nigerian and Cameroonian for better movement of goods across the border.

In their remarks, the representative from AUDA-NEPAD emphasized on the mandate of AUDA to promote regional projects and to work with RECs and member states in doing so, and secondly to mobilise a full range of resources to promote regional projects. Therefore the work of the Agency through its MoveAfrica programme is to develop tools to support RECs and member states as efforts are being made to expedite efficiencies along border posts.

Training of the border officials was drawn from the experiences from East African as well as from the Zimborders.

The training ended with the emphases on continuous training of border officials to ensure better understanding of JBP concept. The Ekok/Mfum Joint Border Post between Nigeria and Cameroon is expected to be fully operationalization in December, 2021, with the handover of the facility to both governments in a groundbreaking ceremony.