Benin – Benin’s Informal Trading with Nigeria

This publication is part of the Benin Institutional Diagnostic.

Summary of contents:

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Historical economic relations between Benin and Nigeria
• 3 Causes of informal trade: Nigeria’s pervasive distortions incentivise smuggling
• 4 Magnitude of entrepôt trade between Benin and Nigeria
• 5 The institutional structure of ICBT in Benin: highly organised informal trade
• 6 The effects of informal trade on Benin
• 7 Summary and policy conclusions
• Discussion of ‘Benin’s informal trading with Nigeria’

Editors:

• Stephen S. Golub, Swarthmore College
• Ahmadou Aly Mbaye and Cheikh Anta Diop, University of Dakar

With discussion by:

• John O. Igué, Laboratoire d’analyse régionale et d’expertise sociale (LARES)