Nigeria has announced the “partial closure” of its border with Benin to clamp down on the smuggling of goods, above all rice, into the country. The West African powerhouse is targeting “massive smuggling activities, especially of rice, taking place on that corridor”, the presidency said in a statement Wednesday. Nigeria is heavily reliant on imports to feed its booming population, while the government is seeking to bolster agriculture as it looks to diversify the oil-dependent economy.
