Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment To Cross-border Cooperation Against Transboundary Crimes

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cross-border cooperation as a strategic tool for combating transboundary crimes and promoting regional integration within the West African sub-region.

The Director-General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC), Surveyor Adamu Adaji, represented by the Head of Cross Border Cooperation, Dr Farouk Tarfa, stated this during the Annual Regional Stakeholders Meeting on ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation held in Abuja.

The regional meeting, hosted by the ECOWAS Commission, attracted representatives from member-states, including Nigeria, Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The stakeholders deliberated on measures to strengthen cross-border cooperation and enhance regional integration across West Africa.

Speaking during the plenary session, Dr Tarfa disclosed that Nigeria was the first country in the sub-region to establish the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) Programme.

According to him, Nigeria embraced the programme because of its strategic relevance in addressing border-related challenges, combating terrorism and other transboundary crimes, and fostering social cohesion among border communities.

He explained that the CBC Programme leverages the shared socio-cultural identities of border communities as a foundation for advancing the ECOWAS integration agenda and facilitating the transition “from a Community of States” to a “Community of People.”

Dr Tarfa further noted that the programme promotes joint development and utilisation of transboundary resources, pooling of resources for the provision of strategic goods and services, integrated health management approaches for combating transboundary diseases, and information sharing among member states on matters of common interest.

“This Programme also provides opportunities for joint security operations capable of guaranteeing peace, security and stability within border areas, thereby facilitating growth and development across the region,” he said.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation process of the ECOWAS Cross Border Cooperation Programmes in member-states and agreed on new joint initiatives aimed at strengthening regional peace, security and integration.

It would be recalled that the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government adopted the concept of Cross Border Cooperation in January 2006 as part of the sub-regional integration mechanisms designed to advance the ECOWAS integration process.

The decision subsequently led to the establishment of the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation Programme by Ministers in charge of Border Issues in member-states.