By Oluwakemi Kindness
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) through deeper institutional collaboration.
The renewed commitment was made during a working visit by the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi, to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the Service Headquarters in Abuja.
A statement on Sunday by Abdulahi Maiwada, NCS spokeaperon, says the meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation between both institutions and identified new areas of collaboration aimed at improving customs administration, facilitating cross-border trade and advancing regional economic integration across Africa.
Speaking during the meeting, Comptroller-General Adeniyi said the partnership is driven by a shared belief that Africa’s economic prosperity depends on stronger trade among African countries.
“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,” he said.
Adeniyi disclosed that the collaboration 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 in customs administration.
He noted that the Nigeria Customs Service was already recording positive outcomes from the bank’s support for regional transit systems and expressed confidence that the partnership would further improve Africa’s competitiveness while expanding opportunities for legitimate trade.
On his part, Afreximbank President, Dr. George Elombi, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for demonstrating strong leadership in driving trade reforms 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,” Elombi said.
He reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to expanding support for initiatives that facilitate trade and strengthen the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The meeting also reviewed the successful collaboration between both institutions during the maiden edition of the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), held in Abuja in November 2025, which 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.
