Gov’t delegation meets Nigeria’s Comptroller General over border closure

A Government delegation recently met with Nigeria’s Comptroller General of Customs Services, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali, on the need to re-open Nigeria’s borders.

The delegation was made up of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Charles Owiredu, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah and the Deputy Commissioner of CEPS, Seidu Yakubu.

The meeting took place Thursday at the Comptroller General’s office in Abuja.

The delegation, had a day earlier, met with Ghanaian stranded drivers at the Seme-Krake border of Nigeria and Benin.

The Abuja discussions centred on the need for Nigerian authorities to implement their part of the agreement reached a couple of weeks with Ghanaian authorities to the effect that if Ghana provided them with information about the particulars of drivers who are stuck at the Seme-Krake border, they would create a safe passage for them to enter Nigeria with their goods.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyeremanten brokered the deal with their Nigerian counterparts this month.

At the meeting which also took place in Abuja, the Nigerian authorities explained that the aim of the border closure was to prevent the entry of contraband goods from Benin including rice. They highlighted that Ghana was not their target.

During the latest meeting, Col. Ibrahim Ali indicated that he could not give a definite response to the call by Ghana for the border to be opened within 24-hours because he needed to consult his superiors.

The borders have remained shut since August 21, 2019.