Benin – Nigeria: Memorandums signed to strengthen integration…
A new step has been taken in the rapprochement between Benin and Nigeria. On Monday, August 18, 2025, the two countries signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) focused on the Boo, Baatonu, and Nago-Yoruba language areas.
SUMMARY
This initiative aims to consolidate the integration of communities living on both sides of the borders. The work, coordinated by the Beninese Agency for Integrated Border Area Management (ABeGIEF) and the Nigerian Border Management Service, brought together the mayors of Beninese border communities and their Nigerian counterparts. The signed documents cover various fields of cooperation:
- health,
- vocational training,
- environment and sanitation,
- sport, leisure, and culture,
- civil protection and rescue.
An organization named Transfrontier Union of Local Authorities will be established for each language area to steer the projects. These unions will be coordinated by a federation whose texts will be adopted in general assembly.
“Erasing the borders”
For Youssoufou Adam, CEO of ABeGIEF, these agreements reflect a clear will: to overcome administrative barriers in order to bring peoples closer together.
“The primary objective of these MoUs is to transform the border areas into poles for growth and socio-economic integration, to promote peaceful cohabitation, and to engage in collective management of resources, “he affirmed.
For local elected officials, the initiative is perceived as a practical response to the expectations of the populations. Alassane Abdoulaye, mayor of Pèrèrè, believes that socio-community infrastructures will emerge from this cooperation:
“Our two peoples are brother peoples. We must strive for a better understanding to meet cultural, social, and economic challenges.”
A meeting hailed as historic
For Dr. Olusola Akinbodé, representative of Nigeria’s consultation frameworks, this signature marks a decisive step:
“We are not just witnesses, we are the actors of a new chapter of cooperation. This day will remain as the beginning of a lasting legacy for future generations.”
According to him, shared culture and languages form a solid base for integration and development.
An international partner alongside the two countries
The German cooperation (GIZ), represented by Bakary Sanou, reaffirmed its commitment to accompany this process.
“Local authorities are the linchpin of integration. Borders should no longer be perceived as lines of separation but as zones of opportunities,” he declared.
In the continuity of a bilateral dynamic
This signature follows the commitments made at the end of July 2025 by Beninese and Nigerian leaders, particularly for the establishment of an enhanced economic cooperation framework, the regulation of transshipment, and the fight against customs fraud.
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