Customs Directors General from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo convened in Lomé, Togo, on June 24-25, 2024, to strategize on implementing the Interconnected Transit Goods Management System (SIGMAT) along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor.
The meeting, hosted under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) Task Force, aimed to address trade barriers identified during a high-level ministerial meeting in Cotonou in October 2023.
Representatives from the corridor member states, the ETLS Task Force, and ECOWAS Commission’s Customs Union and Taxation Directorate attended the event. Mr. Piguendelewe, AKAYA, Director of Customs Operations, welcomed participants on behalf of the Togolese Commissioner for Customs and Indirect Taxation, emphasizing the importance of automating transit processes for regional integration.
Mrs. Massandjé LITSE-TOURE, representing the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, thanked Togo for hosting the meeting and underscored Togo’s pivotal role in promoting regional transit trade.
Dr. Mohammed Ibn CHAMBAS, Chairman of the ETLS Task Force, highlighted ECOWAS’s unwavering commitment to free movement and economic integration. He endorsed the SIGMAT initiative for enhancing transit security and customs revenue mobilization, affirming the Task Force’s support for its full deployment across ECOWAS member states.
Following intensive deliberations, customs administrations resolved to connect to the SIGMAT e-hub by September 2024. They also called on the ECOWAS Commission to facilitate SIGMAT training and awareness sessions and ensure all member states are integrated into the system by the same deadline. Additionally, they proposed the creation of a SIGMAT website, emphasizing its potential to enhance transparency in transit operations and facilitate trade.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to streamline transit procedures, foster regional trade, and bolster economic growth across West Africa through enhanced customs cooperation and technology integration.
