The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening trade facilitation and accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with renewed focus on one-stop border posts and regional transit systems to boost intra-African trade.
The commitment was made during a working visit by Afreximbank President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. George Elombi, to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting reviewed the progress of existing collaboration between both institutions and explored new areas of cooperation aimed at promoting seamless cross-border trade, improving customs administration and deepening regional economic integration.
Speaking during the engagement, Comptroller-General Adeniyi described the partnership as one driven by a shared vision of unlocking Africa’s economic potential through increased trade among African countries.
According to him, the collaboration has already delivered tangible gains in customs modernisation and trade facilitation through initiatives focused on harmonising customs procedures and improving the movement of goods across the continent.
“We are building a partnership founded on a single conviction: that Africa’s best trading partners are within Africa itself, and our prosperity will be built on the trade we conduct within ourselves. From C-PACT to our ongoing work on trade facilitation, we are turning that conviction into practical cooperation,” Adeniyi said.
The Customs boss disclosed that the renewed partnership would support Afreximbank’s regional transit initiatives, fast-track the establishment of one-stop border posts along key trade corridors and promote the adoption of global best practices to strengthen customs administration.
He noted that the Service was already recording positive results from the Bank’s support for regional transit systems and expressed confidence that the collaboration would further enhance Africa’s competitiveness and create more opportunities for legitimate trade.
In his remarks, Afreximbank President, Dr. George Elombi, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for demonstrating strong institutional leadership in advancing continental trade.
“It is nice to see the CGC taking the initiative to drive this kind of engagement, which demonstrates a clear commitment to transforming trade across the continent. We have the resources, and you have the will. Together, we can make this partnership work for Africa,” Elombi said.
He also reaffirmed the Bank’s readiness to expand its support for initiatives that facilitate trade and strengthen the implementation of the AfCFTA.
The meeting also reviewed the successful collaboration between both institutions on the maiden edition of the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), held in Abuja in November 2025.
The initiative brought together customs administrations, development partners and private sector stakeholders to harmonise customs procedures, strengthen institutional capacity and improve connectivity across Africa’s trading systems.
