The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has wrapped up its inaugural Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Summit in Abuja, with Customs administrations across the continent committing to deeper collaboration and coordinated action against non-tariff barriers hindering intra-African trade.
The three-day summit, held at the Transcorp Hilton from 17–19 November 2025, brought together African Customs leaders, trade experts, policymakers and private-sector players to advance the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In his closing remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the summit had provided Africa with a unique opportunity to “move from fragmented efforts to collective solutions,” added that the resolutions reached would strengthen border operations, enhance compliance systems and reduce longstanding trade bottlenecks.
Adeniyi noted that the C-PACT initiative conceived and championed by Nigeria would now function as “a working mechanism for African Customs administrations to engage regularly, share operational experiences and harmonise processes in support of AfCFTA.”
The summit opened with a charge from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, urged African nations to dismantle structural barriers to trade and pursue policies that promote competitiveness and predictable cross-border commerce.
The Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Ian Saunders, also underscored the central role of Customs in the success of AfCFTA, stating that Customs institutions “connect borders, enforce standards and determine the practical realities of trade.”
Similarly, Afreximbank Executive Vice President, Kanayo Awani, warned that AfCFTA’s benefits would remain elusive without modern, interoperable Customs systems across the continent.
Participants at the summit deliberated extensively on rules of origin, transit regimes, risk management, digital documentation, gender inclusion and coordinated border management. Delegates agreed that the C-PACT platform should be sustained as a continental technical body for reviewing progress and aligning national procedures with emerging AfCFTA standards.
Private-sector actors including freight operators, manufacturers, logistics firms, port administrators and exporters also highlighted persistent operational constraints such as delays, inconsistent procedures and documentation hurdles that impede intra-African trade.
National President of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents, Emenike Kingsley, noted that the summit provided “a rare opportunity for Customs managers and economic operators to jointly examine practical challenges affecting cross-border trade.”
The NCS expressed confidence that the outcomes of the summit will accelerate efforts to build a more efficient, integrated and competitive African trading environment.
