The African Association of Cross Border Trade has called for collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in the area of trade facilitation among ECOWAS countries, expansion of and compilation of trade statistics on cross border trade.
The President of the Nigerian Chapter of West Africa Association of Cross Border Trade, Agro-forestry, Pastoral, Fisheries Products and Food, Mohammed Abdullahi, made the call during a familiarization visit to the Council’s headquarters in Lagos recently.
Secretary of the association, Salami Nassiru, said the visit was to formalise trade in West Africa, minimise smuggling as well as promote the trading of ECOWAS products and generate statistics of commodities traded in the sub-region.
The Council’s Director of Consumer Affairs Division, Chief Cajetan Agu who received the delegation on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Mr. Hassan Bello, assured them of the Council’s readiness to partner with the Association, pointing out that the proposed areas of collaboration were in line with the Council’s mandate.
Chief Agu said the two Border Information Centres at Seme-Krake Border and Jibia-Maradi Border were established by the Council to provide on-the-spot assistance like enlightenment and trade information to cross-border traders.
