SUSTAINABLE BORDER MANAGEMENT AGAINST WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA AND ITS IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

The study examined the impact of Customs border management operations through trade facilitations and technology deployment on the fight against wildlife trafficking. The background of this study was premised on the fact that trade openness affect illicit wildlife trafficking which leads to biodiversity loss. The border governance theory and technology determinism theory provided theoretical backdrop underpinning this study.  The study found that trade facilitation and technology deployment by Customs has significantly reduced illicit wildlife trafficking. The study employed Pooled OLS using the linear gravity model. Data were sourced from UNODC. World Bank, CITES database between 2017 and 2022 for selected West African Countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Benin Republic, Chad, and Cameroon.  The statistical evidence from pooled OLS is consistent with Custom seizures. Hence, the study concludes that Customs operations in achieving sustainable border management through technology deployment and trade facilitation has statistically reduced illicit wildlife trafficking. Therefore, sustainable border management should be enabled to advanced deployment and installation of technology e.g., satellite and drones as well as robust trade facilitation targeting. The study recommends that there should be a sustainable financing matrix to improve the use of technology deliverables against illicit wildlife trafficking. Government should also democratize border management to attract investors with sincere technology to fight crime and criminality around the borders points of entry.