Customs, Afreximbank intensify AfCFTA drive through trade facilitation partnership

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have intensified their collaboration to advance the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with renewed commitments to strengthen customs cooperation, simplify cross-border trade and unlock Africa’s vast economic potential.

The renewed partnership was reaffirmed 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 (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, at the Service Headquarters in Abuja last Wednesday 1 July, 2026.

The meeting provided an opportunity for both institutions to assess the progress made under their existing collaboration and chart a new course for initiatives aimed at improving trade facilitation, harmonising customs procedures and enhancing regional connectivity across the continent.

Speaking during the meeting, the Comptroller-General of Customs described the partnership as one anchored on the shared belief that Africa’s economic transformation depends largely on increased trade among African countries.

According to Adeniyi, the collaboration has continued to deliver practical outcomes in customs modernisation, particularly through initiatives designed to remove trade barriers, facilitate the movement of goods and improve the efficiency of customs operations across borders.

“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.

The Customs boss disclosed that the partnership would support the expansion of regional transit systems, accelerate the development of one-stop border posts along strategic trade corridors and promote the adoption of international best practices to strengthen customs administration.

He noted that the Service was already recording positive outcomes from Afreximbank’s support for regional transit initiatives, expressing confidence that the collaboration would further improve Africa’s competitiveness, lower the cost of cross-border trade and create more opportunities for legitimate businesses operating across the continent.

In his remarks, Afreximbank President, Dr George Elombi, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for demonstrating strong institutional leadership in advancing regional trade integration.

He described the proactive engagement of the Service as evidence of its commitment to transforming Africa’s trading environment, while reaffirming the Bank’s readiness to provide the financial and technical support required to deepen trade facilitation and strengthen the implementation of the AfCFTA.

“It is encouraging to see the Comptroller-General taking the initiative to drive this engagement. We have the resources, and you have the will. Together, we can make this partnership work for Africa,” Elombi said.

The meeting also reviewed the successful outcome of the maiden edition of the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), hosted by the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja in November 2025.

The initiative brought together customs administrations, development partners and private sector stakeholders from across the continent to promote harmonised customs procedures, strengthen institutional capacity and improve connectivity within Africa’s trading system.

Both institutions expressed optimism that the strengthened partnership would accelerate the objectives of the AfCFTA by making cross-border trade faster, more transparent and more efficient, while positioning Africa to benefit from a more integrated and competitive continental market.

This version is built around the headline by foregrounding the AfCFTA agenda, making the Customs–Afreximbank partnership the central narrative, while weaving in the supporting details on border posts, regional transit systems, C-PACT and customs modernisation.