The Nigeria Customs Service NCS has highlighted the country’s renewed commitment to deepening continental trade integration and strengthening Customs-led reforms ahead of the maiden Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade, C-PACT Conference.
Comptroller-General of NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who stated this on Friday while briefing State House correspondents, described the upcoming C-PACT Conference, to be held in Abuja from 17 to 19 November 2025, as a major step toward aligning Customs operations across the continent.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa under the State House “Meet the Press” platform, Adeniyi said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent approval of an extension of his mandate came with new performance targets centred on trade facilitation, port decongestion, and enhanced customs reforms.
According to him, the President’s directives reflect the administration’s shift toward leveraging trade as a key engine of economic expansion.
“Mr President has made it very clear that he intends to use trade to promote economic development and alleviate poverty,” he said. “I was not surprised that the implementation of the continental free trade agreement was specifically mentioned in my renewed mandate.”
Adeniyi said the Customs Service has since intensified engagements with Customs administrations across Africa, including talks with the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) during a recent visit to Ghana.
He stressed that the successful implementation of AfCFTA would depend heavily on Customs involvement, particularly in enforcing rules of origin and managing preferential trade regimes.
“For many years, regional trade arrangements struggled because Customs was not brought in early enough,” he said. “If we must achieve the objectives of AfCFTA, Customs must play its role.”
Adeniyi also announced that Nigeria will host the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Ian Sanders, for the first time, an honour he described as a recognition of Nigeria’s rising influence in continental trade diplomacy.
He further highlighted rising export volumes, noting a more than 30 per cent increase in the last two years. The challenge, he said, is to redirect more Nigerian exports toward African markets.
The CGC acknowledged the support of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, AFREXIMBANK, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, port authorities and other trade agencies, describing the current alignment as “a historic window” for Nigeria to assert leadership in Africa’s economic transformation.
”Over 30 Customs administrations have registered for the summit, 22 of them led by Directors-General, alongside a strong turnout from private-sector stakeholders.”
Adeniyi urged the State House Press Corps to raise public awareness ahead of the conference, noting that the opening day will feature direct engagement with private-sector operators from across the continent to identify lingering barriers to the free movement of goods.
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