The Comptroller-General (CG) of the Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has outlined Nigeria’s strategic focus on maximizing intra-African trade.
He linked his renewed mandate from President Bola Tinubu directly to the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Adeniyi announced that Nigeria is set to host the maiden Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference in Abuja from November 17 to 19, 2025.
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He stressed that the President’s policy is a deliberate move to utilize trade as the primary engine for economic growth and reposition Nigeria as a hub for continental commerce.
“Mr President has made it very clear that he intends to use trade to promote economic development and alleviate poverty.”
Adeniyi emphasised that his extended mandate includes clear performance targets focused on trade facilitation, modernizing cross-border systems, and decongesting ports.
He noted that achieving sustainable continental trade integration requires customs administrations to be central to the process.
“For many years, regional trade arrangements struggled because Customs was not brought in early enough,” he said, insisting that customs must play the vital role of enforcing rules of origin and applying trade preferences under the free trade regime.
The forthcoming C-PACT Summit aims to correct this gap by opening direct engagement between policymakers, private sector operators, and Customs administrations.
He confirmed that over 30 Customs administrations, including 22 led by Directors-General, have registered for the summit.
Adeniyi highlighted the encouraging surge in private-sector interest, confirming that the conference’s first day will feature direct conversations with African private operators to pinpoint persistent cross-border barriers.
Adeniyi disclosed that the conference will be attended by the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Ian Sanders, describing this as a recognition of Nigeria’s growing leadership in continental trade diplomacy.
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While acknowledging a more than 30 per cent increase in Nigeria’s export volumes over the past two years, the CG stated the current priority is redirecting more of that trade towards African markets.
He cited strong, aligned support from the Ministry of Finance, AFREXIMBANK, and other federal agencies as creating a “historic window” for Nigeria to lead Africa’s economic transformation.
