The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to closer collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to enhance trade integration, improve data management and remove barriers to intra-African commerce.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, made this pledge during a visit to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, where he met senior officials to discuss strategies for advancing customs cooperation under the AfCFTA Agreement.
He praised the Secretariat’s engagement with stakeholders and said the partnership had paved the way for the upcoming Customs–Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference, scheduled for 17–19 November 2025 in Abuja.
Adeniyi stressed the need for Customs administrations to lead efforts in addressing trade data deficiencies across Africa, noting that a unified coordination framework among heads of Customs would boost sustainable trade facilitation.
AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, commended the NCS for its leadership in promoting continental cooperation, highlighting challenges such as poor logistics and weak inter-agency coordination.
He said the Secretariat continues to work with the private sector and Customs bodies to strengthen collaboration and hinted that the C-PACT Conference could become an annual platform for dialogue on trade facilitation and data integration.
Mene also cited ongoing efforts with the World Customs Organization to roll out electronic certificates of origin and a proposed Single Bond Guarantee Scheme to improve cross-border efficiency. Both leaders expressed optimism that stronger Customs partnerships would drive the success of the AfCFTA and boost Africa’s trade potential.
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