West Africa's porous Borders, coordinated cabal activity
Gerald Konwea
Building the world's most advanced e-commerce app | MSME builder | Business & Entrepreneurship coach | Growth marketer | ITIL Certified
BORDER CLOSURE: If you've traveled through Seme border you'd have realized that our border areas are deliberately porous.
In April, we drove from Abuja - Abidjan as part of research to strengthen our work on regional trade & our findings were wow as there were signs of strong cabal activity across the region, strengthened by in-country actors. Most of the activity can be felt around border areas - say 20-40km radius & our suspicion was confirmed by conversations & interviews, with some even within the ECOWAS. They know. We tried to dig deep but we're not the FBI.
Funny thing is the ECOWAS is aware. Govts are aware. It is coordinated & the 1st step definitely isn't indefinite border closure. Let us 1st have borders that are advanced & beaten before we have indefinite closures. I've gone across the US/Canada border by road - hard to beat.
The ECOWAS further confirmed this by downplaying our report & not attending to it since May. We're not the FBI but for trade to work in favor of economic growth/development, we need to weaken some of the powers of these invisible economic sabotaging hands.
Unlike fmr. President Obasanjo when he stopped tolling, we dont recommend a 'fire brigade' approach. This'll stifle trade. Like our recommendation in the report, Structure. Technology. Innovation. will boost trade & stifle corrupt practices exponentially.
Don't Close. Don't Shut