The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS is set to host two conferences in Abuja in December to address border security, delays in cross-border trade and the need for interconnected customs systems across Africa.
The Comptroller-General of Customs Conference will hold from December 7 to 8, 2026, while the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference is scheduled for December 9 to 11.
The national conference, themed “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” will review the service’s modernisation efforts, assess progress on previous commitments and examine how enforcement and trade facilitation can support national security.
Discussions will cover digital customs operations, trusted trade corridors, seamless payments, intelligence-led enforcement, emerging border threats and collaboration among security agencies.
The programme will also review commitments made in 2025 and results recorded in 2026, alongside presentations on customs modernisation and the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates.
Stakeholders, including the National Single Window Secretariat, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), AEO beneficiaries and excise-sector representatives, are expected to assess the outcomes of ongoing reforms and identify areas requiring further improvement.
The second day will focus on coordinated responses to border threats, bringing together institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the NCS, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The continental C-PACT conference will build on these discussions by examining how African countries can reduce cross-border trade delays and costs through coordinated border management and digital connectivity.
The event, themed “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,” will bring together customs administrations, policymakers, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, regional economic communities, border agencies, development partners, technology providers and private-sector stakeholders.
Participants will examine persistent barriers to regional trade, including fragmented procedures, duplicated controls, limited information exchange, incompatible digital systems and weak coordination among border agencies.
The conference will explore how One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), supported by harmonised procedures, coordinated risk management and secure information exchange, can reduce delays, lower trade costs and improve the movement of goods along African trade corridors.
Its programme will feature policy discussions, technical sessions, presentations on existing and emerging OSBPs, technology demonstrations and discussions on public-private partnerships for financing and delivering modern border infrastructure.
Participants will also examine the implementation of AfCFTA initiatives, including the AfCFTA Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
The organisers expect the conference to produce practical recommendations, identify technology and investment opportunities, strengthen institutional partnerships and develop a roadmap for interconnected digital border systems across Africa.
The Nigeria Customs Service, under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the conferences form part of its efforts to strengthen cooperation with national institutions and international partners while advancing border security, legitimate trade and African economic integration.
The outcomes are expected to support efforts to improve customs operations and advance the AfCFTA’s objective of creating a more integrated African market.