Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, [email protected]
HEADS of customs from Benin, Cameroon and Nigeria yesterday signed a joint communiqué committing to replicate Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Border Post model in West and Central Africa, following a five-day benchmarking mission facilitated by AfreximBank.
The mission, held from 23 to 27 July 2026, brought the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Director-General of Cameroon Customs, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga, and Director-General of Benin Customs, Colonel Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou, to Beitbridge to study how Zimbabwe transformed its busiest border through a public-private partnership.
In the Joint Communiqué, the three customs leaders said the visit was conceived within the African Continental Free Trade Area framework to deepen intra-African trade, particularly along the Sèmè-Kraké axis linking Nigeria and Benin and the Mfum-Ekok axis linking Nigeria and Cameroon.
“Beitbridge was selected because it demonstrates, in sustained operation and at continental scale, that a border can facilitate legitimate commerce, protect society and assure revenue concurrently,” reads the communiqué.
The transformation at Beitbridge was delivered through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concession between the Government of Zimbabwe and the ZimBorders Consortium, funded by the consortium and an assortment of banks between 2018 and 2021.
At the end of the concession, the infrastructure will be handed over to the Government. Since the completion of the modernisation programme, cargo clearance times have dropped dramatically.
Trucks that previously took up to 72 hours to pass through now clear in at least three hours, and the border processes between 1 000 and 1 100 trucks daily.
The customs heads said infrastructure was the most visible lesson, but not the most consequential.
“What proved decisive was the operating model: unified accountability for the border as a whole; agencies acting under one coordinated process; technology deployed to simplify procedures rather than to automate their fragmentation; and performance governed by measurable service standards,” noted the senior customs officials.
They stressed that border modernisation is essentially a programme of institutional reform requiring decisive leadership, fit-for-purpose legislation, coordinated border management, digital interoperability and professional human capital.
Following the mission, the three countries made strategic commitments pledging to champion coordinated One-Stop Border Post arrangements at strategic frontiers, starting with the corridors that carry the greatest trade weight in West and Central Africa.
“To drive this, we will establish a Trilateral Strategic Steering Committee supported by national focal points to sustain momentum and hold administrations accountable,” reads part of the communique.
“The three countries further commit to pursuing harmonised legal instruments and procedures, advancing digital interoperability anchored on pre-arrival processing and coordinated risk management, and investing in leadership and integrity of personnel.”
The customs leaders expressed appreciation to Afreximbank for convening the mission and to ZIMRA and the Beitbridge technical teams for their hospitality.
“We resolve to proceed from benchmarking to implementation, and from isolated projects to an integrated regional border-management architecture and One-Stop Border Post in the service of African economic integration, collective security and common prosperity,” read the communiqué.
Afreximbank has supported a series of benchmarking visits to Beitbridge by African customs administrations seeking to replicate the model.
Zimbabwe’s experience is increasingly being cited as a continental reference for how PPPs can unlock trade efficiency without compromising security or revenue.
The signing signals growing momentum to align border operations across Africa ahead of full AfCFTA implementation.
Addressing the delegates to mark the beginning of the mission, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority’s acting Commissioner for Customs and Excise, Mrs Lonto Ndlovu, said the visit reflects a collective commitment to advancing trade facilitation and strengthening customs cooperation across Africa.
“Permit me to extend a very warm Zimbabwean welcome to our distinguished guests from Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria and Afreximbank,” said Mrs Ndlovu.
“Your presence here reflects our collective commitment to advancing trade facilitation, strengthening customs cooperation and building a more integrated and prosperous Africa.”
Mrs Ndlovu thanked Afreximbank for facilitating the initiative, noting that the Bank continues to support practical solutions to unlock intra-African trade.
She highlighted Beitbridge’s transformation through strategic investment, digital innovation and the concession model with ZimBorders.
“Beitbridge Border Post has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few years as the Government sought to improve the movement of goods and people while enhancing transparency, revenue collection and service delivery,” she said.
“We share it as a journey—one characterised by continuous improvement, innovation and valuable lessons learned.
We remain equally eager to learn from the experiences, innovations and best practices represented by every delegation.”
The day’s programme is set to include presentations on the Beitbridge Modernisation Programme, findings from the technical mission, a guided tour of facilities, and a leadership dialogue.
Mrs Ndlovu also acknowledged border management agencies for their role in integrated border management.
