Lome, 25 October 2018. Ghanaian President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his Togolese counterpart, Faure Essozinma Gnassingbe, are due to commission the Noepe-Akanu joint border post (JBP) on Friday 26 October 2018 at the border between the two countries.

The event will take place in the presence of ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Pathe Gueye, the European Union representative as well as political and administrative authorities from both countries.

The Noepe-Akanu JBP, built with EU funding to the tune of €13,605,430, falls under the Regional Transport Facilitation Programme adopted by the 26^th Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Dakar Senegal in 2003.

The objectives of the programme include poverty reduction, improved regional transport services, reduced transport and transaction costs, inter and intra-regional trade promotion, free movement of persons, goods and services, and enhanced West African integration.

Located at about thirty kilometres from Lome the Togolese capital, the Noepe-Akanu JBP is expected to facilitate formalities at the border between Togo and Ghana in accordance with the regional protocol on free movement of persons and goods, which constitutes the bedrock of regional integration.

The JBP is of strategic importance and is located on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, which accounts for 70% of all transit trade in the sub-region. The corridor is also an integral part of the trans-African road network.

The Community embarked on the construction Joint Border Posts to ensure better trade facilitation through a one-stop customs clearance activities in order to achieve economies of scale, simplify customs procedures, improve cooperation and coordinate controls, encourage the sharing of data and intelligence, and step up the fight against fraud.

The border post will ensure efficiency in cross-border control through improved data sharing, joint operations and risk management initiatives.

The construction of JBPs is an initiative of ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions.

The Noepe-Akanu JBP has areas for passenger and vehicle transport, handling and freight (customs), transit and livestock inspections.

The 17-hectare site has two large buildings, new tarred parking areas, road networks, strong pavements, interlocking sett paving and pedestrian crossing, as well as new annex buildings.

The handing over and commissioning of the Noepe-Akanu joint border post is, on the one hand, a flagship project for ECOWAS and, on the other hand, a good example of a regional public asset with many benefits, notably for the sensitisation of border users between Togo and Ghana on the fight against harassment, extortion and bad practices along the corridor.