Africa-Press – Liberia. Ambassador Josephine Nkrumah, ECOWAS Resident Representative to Liberia, emphasized that the initiative underscores ECOWAS’s commitment to deepening regional economic integration through improved transit systems.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has officially launched the deployment of its automated regional transit solution — known as the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) — between Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Liberia, marking a significant step toward improving trade facilitation and boosting revenue generation across the sub-region.
Dr. Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, said the new system is expected to revolutionize cross-border trade by ensuring greater efficiency, transparency, and coordination among customs administrations in member states.
Delivering a statement on behalf of Dr. Sylla at the Monrovia launch, Ambassador Josephine Nkrumah, ECOWAS Resident Representative to Liberia, emphasized that the initiative underscores ECOWAS’s commitment to deepening regional economic integration through improved transit systems.
“The role of an efficient transit regime in facilitating international trade is well established in numerous international instruments,” Dr. Sylla noted. “With the West African sub-region’s economic integration dependent largely on how efficiently goods cross our borders, the management of transit remains critical to the community’s economic development.”
Overhauling West Africa’s Transit System
Dr. Sylla described the introduction of SIGMAT and its gradual deployment across ECOWAS member states as a “major step” in the region’s ongoing efforts to modernize its transit architecture and make it more attractive to the private sector, international investors, and customs institutions.
“The deployment of SIGMAT between Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Liberia is a testament to ECOWAS’s concern for all trade corridors in the region,” he said. “We will continue to support all member states to achieve full connectivity and enhance the fluidity of cross-border trade along transit corridors.”
He explained that the system’s electronic exchange of transit data and advance cargo information will give customs administrations greater control, minimizing cargo diversion and other forms of trade-related fraud.
“SIGMAT is a home-grown solution to address community challenges,” he said. “Almost all ECOWAS member states have installed SIGMAT in their customs systems, with a few yet to operationalize it. The full benefits of SIGMAT will be realized when all member states deploy it along their transit corridors.”
Push for Full Connectivity
To ensure seamless regional connectivity, Dr. Sylla urged all ECOWAS countries to link their systems to the SIGMAT e-Hub at the ECOWAS Community Computer Centre in Lomé, Togo. This dual-level connectivity, he said, would guarantee operational stability, reliability, and efficiency across borders.
The ECOWAS Commissioner also commended General D.A. Pierre Alphonse, Director General of Customs of Côte d’Ivoire, for pioneering the SIGMAT rollout and working closely with the ECOWAS Commission. He equally praised the Directors General of Customs of Liberia and Guinea for their collaboration in fully interconnecting the three countries’ trade corridors.
Liberia Revenue Authority Welcomes Integration
Speaking at the ceremony, Saa Saamoi, Commissioner of Customs at the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), hailed the launch as a milestone in modernizing and harmonizing transit systems across the ECOWAS region.
He noted that Liberia’s adoption of SIGMAT aligns with its goal of promoting regional integration, transparency, and digital transformation in customs operations.
“The implementation of SIGMAT in Liberia demonstrates our commitment to regional integration and the digital transformation of customs,” Mr. Saamoi said.
He added that the platform will help reduce delays, improve border management, strengthen trade security, and enhance revenue collection efficiency — key priorities for the LRA and its regional partners.
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