Customs, Afreximbank Deepen Trade Facilitation Partnership, Target One-Stop Border Posts, Regional Transit Systems to Boost Intra-African Trade
Customs, Afreximbank Deepen Trade Facilitation Partnership,
Target One-Stop Border Posts, Regional Transit Systems to Boost Intra-African Trade
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing intra-African trade by strengthening its partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). The collaboration aims to enhance trade facilitation, modernize customs operations, and accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
This renewed commitment was underscored during a working visit by Afreximbank President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. George Elombi, to the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, at the Service Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, 3 July 2026. The meeting provided both institutions with an opportunity to review progress and identify new areas of cooperation to promote seamless cross-border trade and regional economic integration.
Welcoming the Afreximbank delegation, CGC Adeniyi described the partnership as one built on a shared vision of unlocking Africa’s economic potential through stronger intra-African trade. He noted that the collaboration has already yielded tangible results in customs modernization and trade facilitation, particularly through initiatives designed to harmonize procedures and improve 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 among ourselves. From C-PACT to our ongoing work on trade facilitation, we are turning that conviction into practical cooperation,” Adeniyi said.
He further disclosed that the partnership would support Afreximbank’s regional transit initiatives, accelerate the development of one-stop border posts along key trade corridors, and promote the adoption of global best practices to strengthen customs administration. He emphasized that the Service is already recording positive outcomes from the Bank’s support for regional transit systems and expressed confidence that the collaboration would boost Africa’s competitiveness and expand opportunities for legitimate trade.
Commending the NCS for its proactive leadership, Dr. Elombi described the Service’s approach as a demonstration of strong institutional commitment to transforming trade across the continent.
“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,” he said, reaffirming Afreximbank’s readiness to expand support for initiatives that facilitate trade and strengthen AfCFTA implementation.
The meeting also reviewed the successful collaboration on the maiden edition of the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), held in Abuja in November 2025. The forum brought together customs administrations, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to harmonize procedures, strengthen institutional capacity, and improve connectivity across Africa’s trading systems.
