Months after the closure of the Benin-Nigeria borders, Albin Feliho, President of the confederation
National Employers' Association of Benin (Coneb) is coming out of its silence. Through an interview he gave to
your Journal, he returned to the impact of this closure on the economic activity of the two countries and the
possible solutions to consider in order to deal with protectionism. He also believes that this closure
borders could lead Benin to strengthen its production system and especially the investment
private.
Why the closing of borders still concerns you when the subject seems forgotten by some
economical actors ?
In an inter-State relationship, the closing of a border leads to a halt in all migration and when we know the
particularity between Benin and Nigeria, whose migration is heavily transaction-based
commercial transactions and who talks about commercial transactions, talks about companies and who talks about companies talks
employees on the one hand and employers on the other. So we are concerned at the highest level all the more
that at the level of the national confederation of employers of Benin, we have more than 60% of our
members who work in the Nigerian market both for import and export and you know that
this affects all socio-professional categories of the entrepreneurial world. So it affects us
first rank. We are aware that it is primarily a leadership role, but we are
convinced that the most important role must be that of the actors themselves. And that's why we
thank you that the opportunity is given to the actors themselves so that they may express themselves
even in a great convergence of points of view can go to negotiations with the party
Nigerian.
Listening to you, one gets the impression that this Nigerian protectionism particularly affects businesses and
even employees? Is the case?
Yes of course. It is a form of protectionism which, at my level, has no reason to exist when we know that there are
frameworks both at the level of ECOWAS, both at the level of the African Union and even in the practice of
proximity between Benin and Nigeria, there are agreements between the two parties in terms of customs,
taxation, health, security. Maybe we haven't been heard enough for
these agreements exist at the level of education, at the level of the mixing of different peoples. I believe
that today such a crisis can lead us to reflect and see if the forecasts we had made
at the time and proposed would not be intelligently reviewed by both parties.
What are today fundamentally the economic sectors most affected
All economic sectors are fundamentally affected. We agree on the
re-export, we are even less in agreement on the questions of the breeders who in good faith and
in full knowledge of the facts according to bipartite agreements should produce towards the market
Nigerian. We are also less in agreement for farmers, fruit growers and
vegetables, pineapples, etc.… which have a completely natural, normal, standardized framework for the export to
do it under somewhat intelligent conditions. I will say a little less agree on the said transactions
illicit by Nigeria. On this we can still discuss but nothing is linear. It's such a file
complicated, complex between the different interests that you have to look at very closely and look at the different
stakeholders, their interests, the issues involved and the aspirations of each to be able to
take a decision. So we can't expect anything from a political decision. In a draconian way, everything must
to be negotiated, everything to be discussed and in any case the private actors must also organize themselves and support
and sometimes even as a scout for the benefit of politicians who must go to the negotiating table.

We believed that you only defend private individuals, but surprise with your analysis we realize
that the public also concerns you
I don't think we can say it enough. The position of the National Employers' Confederation of Benin
is not to engage in primary trade unionism. But it is rather to remain within the logic of defending the
economic interests of our nation. It is not a question of defending one party against another.
As proof yourself, you can see that in our ranks we have strategists and practitioners who
reflect in this direction and which constitute our laboratory. When the borders were closed, we
know that transactions between countries generate tax revenue for our state.
Today we are not happy to know that these are less revenues for our country. That
closure also creates inconveniences for the investment in a global way. Therefore, the jobs
or employees are affected without forgetting the small trades such as cooks, security and others
are logically affected. So it's practically all sectors that are impacted. Professions related to
agriculture, livestock, tourism, transport and logistics, etc. are hit hard. I think of these
populations who are affected today by the effects of this protectionism.
This situation of closure is causing a lot of players to react. Some specialists believe that it will open the
gateway to local production and processing. Does the President of CONEB share this
to analyse ?
Yes absolutely. But before answering you, I would first like to say that the closing of borders
Nigerian relations with Benin does not date from today. It is recurrent practically even if I do not have the
specific dates in mind. In any case, there have already been border closures and the solution has always been to
say, ''Let's produce what we eat, consume local'' etc. It is obvious to say that we must
set up industrialization programs, support programs for the private sector
by the State and its partners in such a way as to create real national champions or major manufacturers. He
It is worth recalling that current economic reforms are converging on this. Now you have to
give it a boost so that the reasoning is no longer at all "political" but rather "
any actor.
Through your analysis you say that Benin is not the only one to feel the consequences of this
closing. What does this mean?
First of all, let me point out that the border closure is not only with Benin but also with
Niger, Cameroon. Is Nigeria powerfully big to live in autarky? At first no. So there are
backlash it suffered and moreover we hear our counterparts in Nigeria plead for the borders
open up and habits resume, but perhaps better framed. You shouldn't
escapes. No Beninese has the capacity to introduce smuggled products into the Nigerian market.
To solve its problems, Nigeria has decided to close its borders in order to avoid the import of a certain
number of products. You understand that it is the same Nigerian economic operators who
encourage Beninese to set up smuggling networks. No Beninese has the capacity
to organize this. That is why I am telling you that the file is very complex. Nigeria must
he himself is thinking about how to put a brake on these practices in his own ranks. If you
take the factory we often talk about that belongs to the wealthy African businessman living in Nigeria,
I was told that these factories today enough inputs or tomatoes that come only
that of Benin to run at full speed. In short, this closure affects both the Nigerian economy and the
Benign. We hear that Benin must ban the access of parboiled rice to Benin because the people of Benin do not
not consume. I say no. We cannot dictate to Benin its import and export policy.
We are a corridor that serves the interland. If Niger is asking us for these products, why do you want
name of a proximity to Nigeria, Benin takes a decision that is detrimental to our relations
trade with Niger? You see it's not a case that's linear or simple to
dissect and that decisions cannot be made in a rush. There are indeed many
procedures, negotiations but this time with economic operators. Maybe that's what the
Nigerians are waiting. If this is the case, we are ready within the Coneb to go to negotiations with
our government.
We feel a certain political recovery of this closure with reactions on both sides to the point
where some rejoice. What is the reaction of employers who are supposed to be impartial in relation to
such behavior?
I am not a politician but I understand that people make a recovery of it. Here is a case
commercial, it's a matter of human migration and that's why we say it's
time for all politics to be moderated and now for all actors. And there we have a role to
play to ask those people who have reasons to do so, I can imagine, but who don't help
not at all Benin in its negotiations. The rest is only political or politician recovery. This
don't look at us. I would say it's suicidal for people who bring up this feeling. It doesn't help
nobody and especially not Benin.

In terms of proposals, what is Coneb doing today in the face of this situation?
Already there is an emergency. Urgency for containers that are at the border entrance, at the port etc. The
urgent solution is a form of moratorium to allow these products to follow the normal circuit on a
even two months. So that the orders already placed do not remain on the arm of the operators
economic. There we are addressing the Beninese and Nigerian authorities so that in the negotiation, we plead
so that these perishable products do not become a dead loss for businessmen. Also, he
is necessary to revisit the existing agreements. Our proximity to Nigeria is as old as
world. I don't want to go back to the painful periods. It's not our fault if during the
Biaffra war we had a slew of Ibo'' Nigerians along Missèbo. At this time, we were
not bad for Nigeria. Our country is not at fault for knowing, for example, that Niger preferred Benin
to run its pipeline. I don't think Benin will decide overnight to ban
crossing of Nigerien oil on its territory. I don't think that's even possible. We within the
Coneb, we have an educational approach. We clarify things without bias. President's Initiative
Buhari has nothing personal with anyone. You have to get down to business. These bilateral agreements that exist
from customs to customs, from security to security, from chamber of commerce to chamber of commerce, from
employer to employer, that these contracts be revisited. It's already a panoply of urgent things on
which we can sit with our Nigerian counterparts. Then redefine the conditions under which
these transactions must be done to gradually reduce contraband until it disappears. At the house of
we in Benin need to learn how to make champions of our manufacturers and here I am addressing our
government. We must also review the taxes in general that affect transactions on both sides
in a dynamic of harmonization between our country and the others so as to make Benin more
competitive.