Nigeria and the Republic of Benin have officially begun implementing a new economic cooperation agreement designed to boost bilateral trade and enhance regional integration between both West African nations.
According to nairametrics, the move follows a two-day high-level meeting between officials of both countries, held to work out the framework for the deal’s execution.
According to a statement by Dr. Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the agreement stems from commitments made during the West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) held in June 2025 in Abuja.
The economic pact covers critical areas such as trading services, customs procedures, trade facilitation, transport infrastructure, and private sector engagement.
AfCFTA economic goals
Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the agreement as a step in line with the goals of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), praising President Bola Tinubu’s leadership for convening the regional summit that birthed the initiative.
She also noted that bilateral ties with Benin have evolved from informal exchanges to structured partnerships, even as both nations continue to confront challenges like smuggling and trans-border crimes.
“Our shared successes affirm a truth we must never lose sight of the fact that cooperation, not conflict; dialogue, not suspicion, remain our best tools for overcoming obstacles,” she said.
She emphasized the need for both countries to align customs and trade procedures, streamline bottlenecks, and encourage investments that empower local businesses.
READ: Africa: Nigeria Makes Historic AfCFTA Trade Move with First Export to Kenya
The statement revealed that Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, presented the key resolutions of the bilateral meeting.
Technical working groups from both sides are expected to deliberate further on specific sectors and submit their implementation reports in Abuja.
Also present at the meeting were Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Bakari; Minister of Industry and Trade, Shadiya Assouman; Nigeria’s Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi; and several senior officials from both governments.
Benin reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining mutually beneficial relations with Nigeria, as both countries work toward shared economic prosperity.
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Addressing West African leaders during the WAES meeting in June, President Tinubu had urged them to move beyond fragmentation and missed opportunities, working towards deeper regional integration, collaboration, and shared prosperity.
He emphasised that West Africa is one of the last great frontiers of economic growth, but opportunity alone does not guarantee transformation.
“Opportunity is not destiny. We must earn it through vision, integration, policy coherence, collaboration, and capital alignment. Intra-regional trade remains under 10%, a challenge we can no longer afford to ignore. The low trade is not due to a failure of will but a coordination failure,” he said.
He further emphasised the need for West Africa to process its rare minerals locally, rather than just exporting raw resources, advocating for regional manufacturing and value addition.
