Nigeria’s Customs Service (NCS) is stepping up efforts to strengthen intra-African trade, with the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, leading discussions on enhancing trade facilitation across the continent.
At the Biashara Afrika 2024 forum, held from October 9th to 11th, CGC Adeniyi met with African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretary General, Wamkele Mene, to tackle key trade bottlenecks and promote the active participation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the AfCFTA’s framework.
The high-level engagement underscored the importance of customs agencies in driving trade across Africa, with Nigeria’s Customs Service receiving praise for its pioneering initiatives. Secretary General Mene highlighted the NCS’s progress in modernizing customs procedures through the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the implementation of Advanced Rulings and Time Release studies, positioning the NCS as a model for other customs administrations across Africa.
In his remarks, Comptroller-General Adeniyi reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to AfCFTA’s goals, pointing to the recent reforms enabled by the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. The legislation, he noted, has been instrumental in giving Nigeria the tools needed to create a more efficient trading environment and boost its export potential. “With the government’s support, we aim to make Nigeria a top trading nation in Africa, driving SME growth and increasing exports,” Adeniyi stated.
One of the standout moments of the forum was the success story of Mrs. Chinwe Ezenwa, CEO of LE LOOK Nigeria Limited, who recently became the first woman to export goods under the AfCFTA’s Guided Trade Initiative (GTI). Her accomplishment, with shipments to East, Central, and North African countries from Lagos’ Apapa Port in July 2024, exemplifies the increasing opportunities for Nigerian businesses to penetrate new markets across Africa.
The meeting concluded with a commitment from the AfCFTA Secretariat to draft a concept note outlining future plans for the trade area. Additionally, the NCS pledged to collaborate with other customs administrations across Africa to tackle common challenges and harmonize efforts to facilitate smoother cross-border trade.
Biashara Afrika, now in its second edition, continues to serve as a premier platform for advancing discussions on trade in Africa. This year’s forum focused on creating innovative solutions to ease the complexities of cross-border commerce and promote economic integration across the continent.
