Border closure implies being far away from latest surveillance technology— Afreximbank
The leadership of the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) may have chided Nigerian government at the ongoing second edition of the African Investment Forum (AIF) in Johannesburg, South Africa over the continued closure of land borders.
Whereas global experts in birder security has said that world over, border security has transited from physical manning to even robotic surveillance that can detect and report any breach to the central server and triggered red flag for seamless arrest of culprits than blanket blockage, President of the bank, Prof Benedict Oramah, accordingly, urged Nigeria and other African countries to deploy technology in monitoring their borders.
Linking the current border shutdown by the Nigerian government and the effectiveness of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Prof Oramah argued that “Trade deals on AfCFTA will start July 1, 2020. Nigeria will resolve its border challenges before then. Nigeria has signed the agreement and will not take the agreement lightly. Even in marriages, there can be challenges. The border closure is a temporary measure.”
He however expressed confidence that Nigeria would resolve the issues with its West African neighbours before AfCFTA’s commencement in July 2020 and further advised Nigeria and other African countries to learn to deploy technology in monitoring activities within their borders rather than resort to closing borders.
