Customs, Afreximbank deepen partnership to boost intra-African trade

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening its partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to strengthen trade facilitation, improve customs cooperation and accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The commitment was reaffirmed on Thursday 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.

According to a statement made available to journalists on Sunday by the Nigeria Customs Service, the meeting reviewed the progress of existing collaboration between both institutions and explored new areas of cooperation aimed at promoting seamless cross-border trade and regional economic integration across Africa.

Speaking during the meeting, Adeniyi described the partnership as one driven by a shared vision of unlocking Africa’s economic potential through increased trade among African countries.

“We are building a partnership between the two sides, 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.

The Comptroller-General disclosed that the collaboration would support Afreximbank’s regional transit initiatives, accelerate the establishment of one-stop border posts along major 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 partnership would improve Africa’s competitiveness and create more opportunities for legitimate trade.

Elombi commended the Nigeria Customs Service for what he described as its proactive leadership in advancing trade on 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.

The statement added that 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 forum 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.