Project

A. General Information

1. Title

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT)

2. Status of the project
Operating
3. Implementation period of the project/service:
From
2019
To
Present
4. Website
https://www.ecowas.int/?p=115133
https://www.ecowas.int/launch-of-the-interconnected-transit-goods-management-sy…
5. Geographical coverage
Regional: Africa
Participating countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
Hub Point: Togo
6. Participating agencies/entities of the project/service:
a. Development stage
Lead agencies/entities
ECOWAS Commission (Customs Union and Taxation Directorate)
Other participating agencies/entities
National customs administrations of participating countries; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – material and technical support, including servers and the regional e-Hub in Lomé
b. Operational stage
Lead agencies/entities (op)
ECOWAS Commission; national customs administrations of participating countries
Other participating agencies/entities (op)
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7. Main stakeholders/beneficiaries of the project
Traders (big enterprises)
Traders (SMEs)
Transport
Customs
8. Business process category of the project
Forwarding and cargo handling
Transport
Regulatory/official control

B. Lessons Learned

9. Summary description of the project/service
Brief Summary

SIGMAT is the ECOWAS regional customs IT solution that interconnects national customs systems through a regional e-Hub in Lomé, enabling the electronic exchange of transit messages for goods moving between Member States.

a. Objective(s)

Facilitate faster processing of goods in transit across ECOWAS borders, eliminate redundant inspections, provide earlier risk information to customs and speed up clearance at the customs office of destination.

b. Business need for the project (background)

Regional transit relied on paper-based customs documentation and repeated controls at each border. SIGMAT builds on the bilateral customs interconnectivity first implemented between Burkina Faso and Togo (2018) and extends it into a common regional system.

c. Business process covered*

Customs transit (international, internal and multimodal transit): electronic exchange of customs data on goods in transit between customs administrations along regional corridors (e.g. Abidjan–Lagos corridor), supporting risk anticipation and faster clearance at the customs office of destination.

d. Overall architecture and functionalities*

National customs IT systems are connected to a regional SIGMAT e-Hub in Lomé, Togo, which routes electronic transit messages between administrations. Deployment is corridor by corridor; the Benin–Nigeria connection was launched at Sèmè-Kraké on 19 May 2025.

e. Relevant document/figure
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10. Documents and data exchanged via the project

Electronic messages and customs data on goods in transit

11. Data models/databases, proprietary solutions, hybrid approaches
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12. Main challenges faced during the project

Connecting all Member States to the e-Hub; transition from manual transit procedures to digital systems; specific needs of island states (inter-island traffic, Cabo Verde)

13. Lessons learned from the project
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14. Main benefit(s) of the project
Enhanced regulatory compliance*
Transaction Time savings
Simplified process
14A. Elaborations/detailed description on benefits gained

Electronic exchange of transit messages removes redundant inspections, anticipates risks and speeds up clearance at destination customs offices.

15. Technical/financial/capacity building/other assistance

Financial: GIZ, with backing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union.
Technical: GIZ, on behalf of the German Government, provided IT infrastructure including servers and the electronic hub in Lomé.
Capacity building: Training and awareness sessions on SIGMAT for customs officers and other transit stakeholders (ECOWAS recommendation and corridor commitments).

16. Future plan for expansion of the project

Expand SIGMAT to all ECOWAS countries and upgrade it to a 2.0 version that will contain the Guarantee Management System, create an interface between SIGMAT and the e-Certificate of Origin (e-CO) system, and work hand in hand with other key trade tools (GIZ, December 2025). Extend SIGMAT to the other borders (routes) of Benin and Nigeria, as included in the deployment roadmap validated by Beninese and Nigerian IT experts on 20 May 2025 (ECOWAS Commission).

17. Other information or relevant references on the project

Officially launched in 2019. Customs administrations of the Abidjan–Lagos corridor committed to connecting to the e-Hub by September 2024. As of May 2025, all ECOWAS Member States except Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde had installed SIGMAT in their customs IT systems. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which left ECOWAS in 2025, remain connected. Related DB entry: 'Interconnectivity of Customs IT systems between Burkina Faso and Togo'.
References:
https://www.ecowas.int/?p=115133
https://www.ecowas.int/launch-of-the-interconnected-transit-goods-management-system-sigmat-between-benin-and-nigeria/
https://www.ecowas.int/information-experts-from-benin-and-nigeria-pave-the-way-for-the-official-launch-of-sigmat-deployment-between-their-states/
https://www.ecowas.int/sigmat-a-tool-for-strengthening-dialogue-and-facilitating-trade-in-goods-within-ecowas/
https://www.ecowas.int/ecowas-reviews-the-implementation-of-the-new-transit-procedure-and-sigmat-in-member-states/
https://www.ecowas.int/director-generals-of-customs-from-the-abidjan-lagos-corridor-member-states-meet-to-discuss-sigmat-deployment/
https://www.giz.de/en/regions/africa/nigeria/news/sigmat-connecting-corridors-unlocking-futures
https://logistafrica.com/en/highlights/ecowas-interconnected-system-for-the-management-of-goods-in-transit-sigmat-now-operational-in-nine-9-member-states/
https://africa.com/relevant-recommendations-to-ensure-the-success-of-interconnected-transit-goods-management-system-sigmat-in-the-economic-community-of-west-african-states-eco-was-region

18. Relevant document regarding the project
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C. Relevant Standards

19. Name(s) of any international, national legal instrument underpinning the project
Supplementary Act on ECOWAS Community Transit (December 2021), replacing the 1982 Convention on Inter-State Road Transit (ISRT)
20. Electronic message standard
20A. Electronic message standard supporting the project
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20B. Type of standard for electronic message applied for the project
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21. Technical communication standard
21A. Technical communication standard supporting the project
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21B. Type of technical communication standard applied for the project
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22. Security-related standards*
22A. Security-related standard supporting the project
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22B. Type of security-related standard applied for the project
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23. Other Technical Information
23A. Interface developed for data exchange with an internal system
National customs IT systems (SIGMAT installed in all ECOWAS Member States except Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, as of May 2025) ↔ SIGMAT e-Hub in Lomé (servers and hub provided by GIZ); exchange of customs data between customs administrations; connection to the e-Hub organised by corridor (Abidjan–Lagos corridor administrations resolved to connect by end-September 2024).
23B. Other technical implementation information
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Last Update: 21 October 2026