CG Adeniyi strengthens Nigeria Customs–AfCFTA partnership, secures endorsement for C-PACT Initiative
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) commitment to deepening collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to promote efficient trade integration, improve data accuracy, and dismantle barriers hindering intra-African trade.
Adeniyi made the remarks on Monday, November 3, 2025, during a courtesy visit to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, where he met with senior officials to strengthen strategic cooperation ahead of the forthcoming Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) conference scheduled for November 17–19, 2025, in Abuja.
The Customs Chief commended the AfCFTA Secretariat for its role in mobilising African Customs administrations, development partners, and economic operators toward unlocking the continent’s trade potential. According to him, the sustained partnership between the NCS and AfCFTA Secretariat has provided a clear framework for advancing Customs coordination across Africa.
“The AfCFTA Secretariat has been instrumental in mobilising African Customs and economic operators. We have received a concept note from the Secretariat and engaged in a series of meetings. We now have a clear direction in which we want to go during the meeting in Abuja,” Adeniyi said.
He emphasised that Customs administrations must take the lead in addressing deficiencies in trade data management across the continent, describing accurate data as the foundation of policy and performance improvement.
“We have heard discussions centring around the fact that Customs needs to take the front role in addressing the issue of deficiencies in our trade data across the continent. This is a challenge that I have accepted to play, working with my colleagues,” he added.
Adeniyi also stressed the need to reinforce the AfCFTA framework that unites all heads of Customs administrations under one platform, noting that a fully institutionalised Customs Pact would drive long-term policy consistency and operational efficiency.
“The existing structure that brings together all heads of Customs under the AfCFTA must be reinforced. Once the Customs Pact is institutionalised, it should be able to operate effectively within the Secretariat’s framework to drive sustainable trade facilitation,” he stated.
In his remarks, Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, welcomed the Nigerian delegation and commended the NCS for its leadership in driving Customs cooperation across Africa.
He identified persistent barriers such as weak logistics infrastructure, high transportation costs, and inadequate inter-agency coordination as key obstacles to continental trade growth. Mene noted that the Secretariat was engaging Customs services, ministries of trade, and the private sector to enhance cooperation and sustainable policy alignment.
He also revealed that the AfCFTA Secretariat was considering making the C-PACT Conference an annual institutional event to sustain regional dialogue on Customs integration and data governance.
Recalling the Secretariat’s Memorandum of Understanding with the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Mene said the partnership aims to strengthen private sector participation and enable the issuance of electronic certificates of origin across Africa.
He further disclosed that discussions were ongoing on a Single Bond Guarantee Scheme to bolster the AfCFTA’s Annexe on Transit and enhance cross-border trade efficiency.
Mene reaffirmed Customs’ central role in implementing the AfCFTA, urged active participation in shaping Africa’s trade data architecture, Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) frameworks, and comprehensive trade statistics management.
#EmporiumReporters