Nigeria, Ghana Customs Strengthen Cooperation to Fight Illicit Trade, Boost AfCFTA Integration

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to curb illicit trade and deepen seamless regional trade integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Adeniyi stated this on Monday during a high-level visit to the Commissioner-General of the GRA Customs Division, Brigadier General Glover Annan, at the Authority’s headquarters in Accra, Ghana.
Both agencies agreed on the need for improved intelligence sharing, harmonised clearance processes and coordinated enforcement to disrupt cross-border criminal networks and expand legitimate trade flows between the two nations.
Brig.-Gen. Annan lauded the NCS for driving the C-PACT (Customs-Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade) initiative developed with Afreximbank and supported by the World Customs Organisation, noting that the upcoming C-PACT Conference in Abuja from November 17–19, 2025, would provide a continental mechanism for new trade facilitation reforms.
Responding, Adeniyi warned that transnational criminal syndicates have continued to exploit operational gaps between Customs agencies across Africa, stressing that closer cooperation was crucial for collective security and sustainable growth.
“We must close the gaps criminals exploit. The stronger we collaborate, the more we can safeguard our economies,” he said.
Adeniyi suggested that the 2001 Nigeria–Ghana Customs cooperation MoU be reviewed and updated to reflect contemporary realities and new AfCFTA opportunities.
He added that his visit also sought Ghana’s partnership and strategic alignment for the upcoming C-PACT Conference in Abuja.
The engagement is expected to stimulate a renewed bilateral operational framework anchored on intelligence-led enforcement, modern border management reforms and enhanced intra-African trade competitiveness.