Customs, Afreximbank Move to Remove Trade Barriers Across Africa
By Patience Ikpeme
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have stepped up efforts to improve trade across the continent by expanding their partnership to make the movement of goods easier, strengthen cooperation among customs administrations and support the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The renewed commitment followed a meeting between the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi, at the Customs headquarters in Abuja.
The discussions focused on the progress made under previous joint initiatives and explored fresh areas of collaboration aimed at increasing trade within Africa and reducing obstacles that slow the movement of goods across borders.
Adeniyi said Africa’s economic future depends largely on stronger commercial ties among African countries, stressing that Customs and Afreximbank share the same vision of creating a more connected continental market.
“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,” he said.
He said cooperation between both institutions had already helped to improve customs operations and simplify trade procedures, making it easier for legitimate businesses to move goods across national borders.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service intends to build on those gains by supporting regional cargo transit programmes and working towards the establishment of one-stop border posts at key border crossings to speed up trade and reduce delays experienced by importers and exporters.
Adeniyi said the support received from Afreximbank for regional transit initiatives was already producing encouraging results and expressed optimism that the partnership would make African businesses more competitive while creating greater opportunities for lawful trade.
Elombi described the Customs leadership as committed to transforming trade on the continent, saying the bank was encouraged by the willingness of the Service to pursue reforms that would improve regional commerce.
“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.
He said Afreximbank would continue to provide financial and technical support for programmes designed to ease trade across African borders and help member countries realise the full benefits of the AfCFTA.
The meeting also reviewed the outcome of the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade, a platform introduced in 2025 to encourage closer cooperation among customs authorities, development partners and private sector operators.
Both organisations agreed that the initiative had created a useful platform for improving customs processes, building institutional capacity and strengthening trade links across the continent, adding that more efforts would be made to expand the programme in the years ahead as part of wider plans to promote regional economic integration.
