Cross-border charges jeopardize AfCFTA goals, say frustrated West African exporters

Rising costs of road freight across West Africa are threatening to derail the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), exporters and trade experts warn, as unofficial fees and bureaucratic bottlenecks mount along key trade corridors.
A recent case study by the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade (WACTAF) reveals that transporting a truckload of goods worth ₦100 million from Lagos to Accra now costs over ₦10.84 million (about $67,000). Most of this is lost to opaque levies, bribes, and inefficient customs processes in transit countries, especially Benin, Togo, and Ghana. In Benin alone, exporters pay ₦9.05 million in charges, including a staggering ₦7.23 million statistics levy. Togo and Ghana add another ₦1.78 million through tracking fees, bonds, and administrative charges. These costs exclude warehousing, insurance, or inland transport within Nigeria.
Experts warn that these costs are crippling competitiveness and undermine AfCFTA’s vision of seamless trade. Exporters are demanding the enforcement of regional trade protocols and elimination of non-tariff barriers. Olubunmi Olumekun, president of the West African Exporters and Barge Operators Association, urged investment in alternative transport methods. “We’ve used barges to transport goods to Togo, and it was more efficient and profitable than road transport. In some cases, neighboring countries even hired Nigerian barges for months and paid well,” he said. Stakeholders are now calling on Nigeria and ECOWAS to act decisively. Without reforms, they warn, AfCFTA’s promise may remain unfulfilled.