African Customs chiefs agree on Non-Tariff-Barriers for enhanced intra-Continental trade
By Fruzzy Wuzzy
AFRICAN Customs chiefs have agreed to move beyond fragmented efforts and adopt collective solutions to Non-Tariff Barriers, in order to boost intra-African trade.
Speaking at the just concluded three-day engagement, tagged the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Summit, held in Abuja, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi said decisions reached at the would guide Customs administrations in strengthening border procedures, improving compliance systems and reducing the longstanding non-tariff barriers that slow cross-border trade.
Adeniyi also said that the C-PACT initiative, which Nigeria proposed and championed, will now serve as “a working mechanism for African Customs administrations to engage regularly, share operational experiences and harmonise processes in support of AfCFTA.”
The summit brought together Customs chiefs, policy experts, and private-sector players from across the continent to advance the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Adeniyi said:”the summit had provided Africa with a credible platform to move from fragmented efforts to collective solutions.
“The resolutions reached would guide Customs administrations in strengthening border procedures, improving compliance systems and reducing the longstanding non-tariff barriers that slow cross-border trade.’
He noted that the C-PACT initiative, which Nigeria proposed and championed, will now serve as “a working mechanism for African Customs administrations to engage regularly, share operational experiences and harmonise processes in support of AfCFTA.”
Recall that Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu, had urged African countries to dismantle structural barriers to trade and adopt a continent-wide framework that supports competitiveness, industrial growth, and stable cross-border commerce.
Similarly, the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation, Ian Saunders, had reminded participants that Customs authorities remain central to the success of AfCFTA because they “connect borders, enforce standards and determine the practical realities of trade.”
Meanwhile, Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, Kanayo Awani, noted at the opening session that without modernised and interoperable Customs systems, the economic gains expected from the AfCFTA would remain elusive.
At the closing session, participating administrations expressed satisfaction with the depth of the discussions, especially on rules of origin, transit regimes, risk management, digital documentation, gender inclusion, and coordinated border management..
Delegates further agreed that the C-PACT platform should continue to function as a technical body for monitoring progress and aligning national systems with emerging continental standards.
Private-sector actors including freight operators, manufacturers, logistics firms, port administrators and exporters also made significant contributions, highlighting delays, inconsistent procedures, and documentation bottlenecks that continue to hinder intra-African trade.
For his part, the National President of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents, Emenike Kingsley, said the summit offered the first real opportunity in years for Customs managers and economic operators to jointly examine operational constraints
