The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to deepening collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to strengthen intra-African trade, improve data integrity and dismantle structural barriers slowing continental trade growth.
Adeniyi disclosed this on Monday during a courtesy visit to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, where he met with senior officials to advance alignments ahead of the Customs-Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference scheduled for November 17–19, 2025 in Abuja.
He stated that the continuous engagements with the Secretariat had provided clearer strategic direction for Customs-led intervention within the AfCFTA framework, adding that Customs administrations must now play front-line roles in fixing Africa’s long-standing trade data deficiencies.
“The AfCFTA Secretariat has been instrumental in mobilising Customs and economic operators across the continent. We now have a clear path for the Abuja meeting. Most importantly, Customs must lead the solution on the continent’s trade data gaps — and I am committed to this mandate,” Adeniyi said.
He emphasised that the existing mechanism bringing together heads of Customs under AfCFTA must be strengthened, noting that once institutionalised, the Customs Pact should become a permanent strategic platform for long-term policy coherence and sustainable facilitation.
Responding, the AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, welcomed the Nigerian delegation and commended the NCS for providing leadership on Customs cooperation across Africa. He noted that trade growth is still challenged by weak logistics infrastructure, high transport costs and poor inter-agency alignment.
Mene revealed that the Secretariat is considering making the C-PACT conference an annual fixture to sustain dialogue and accelerate Customs integration across member states. He also referenced ongoing efforts with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to support private sector inclusion, digital certification of origin and the development of a Single Bond Guarantee Scheme to strengthen the AfCFTA Annex on Transit.
He urged active participation of Customs administrations in shaping continental trade data architecture, AEO mutual recognition and the institutional governance essential for AfCFTA success.
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