National Boundary Commission (NBC) has deposited an instrument of ratification on cross-border cooperation at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Director-General, Adamu Adaji, made the disclosure in a statement issued by the agency’s Head of Information Unit, Efe Ovuakporie, yesterday, in Abuja.

He clarified that the convention, otherwise known as the Niamey Convention, has a strong commitment by member-states to promote cross-border cooperation for sustainable development of the African continent.

The protocol, according to Adaji, is aimed at fostering a regime of peaceful resolution of border disputes among member-states and deepening unity.

He stressed that it equally provides an opportunity to share intelligence among the nations.

The NBC boss recalled that Nigeria played a pivotal role in the conceptualisation of the African Union Border Programme (AUBP), and was very strategic to the process that produced the Convention during the Conference of African Ministers in charge of Borders on May 29, 2012 in Niamey, Niger Republic, to promote growth, socio-economic and political integration of the continent.

He, therefore, urged member-states that are yet to ratify and deposit the pact to expedite action.

With the deposition, Nigeria has become the ninth country to do so.