By Ajibola Adedoye
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s strategic push to drive deeper intra-African trade, as he briefed State House correspondents on Friday, 14 November 2025, ahead of the inaugural Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference holding in Abuja from 17–19 November.
Addressing journalists under the State House “Meet the Press” platform, Adeniyi said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent extension of his mandate came with firm targets centred on trade facilitation, port decongestion, and the modernisation of Nigeria’s border management systems. According to him, these priorities reflect the administration’s broader resolve to deploy trade as a catalyst for economic growth and regional competitiveness.
“Mr President has made it very clear that he intends to use trade to promote economic development and alleviate poverty,” the CGC noted, stressing that it was no surprise that AfCFTA implementation has been placed front and centre in his renewed mandate.
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Adeniyi explained that he has since intensified engagements with Customs leaders across Africa, including a pivotal meeting in Ghana with the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA. He insisted that Customs administrations must play a central role in implementing the agreement, warning that past regional trade frameworks faltered largely because Customs authorities were not included early enough.
“For AfCFTA to succeed, Customs must effectively enforce rules of origin, manage preferences and ensure goods legitimately benefit from the agreement,” he emphasised.
The CGC described the forthcoming C-PACT Summit as a turning point for Africa’s trade architecture—bringing together Customs administrations, policymakers, and private-sector leaders to confront lingering obstacles to continental trade. Over 30 Customs agencies have confirmed participation, with 22 led by their Directors-General, an indication he said demonstrates growing continental alignment.
He also announced that Nigeria will host the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation, Ian Sanders, for the first time—a development he said underscores Nigeria’s rising influence in global and continental trade diplomacy.
Highlighting ongoing improvements in Nigeria’s export performance, Adeniyi noted that export volumes have grown by more than 30 percent over the past two years. The key challenge now, he said, is to channel a greater share of that growth toward African markets.
He commended the strong inter-agency support from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, AFREXIMBANK, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, port authorities and other trade actors—collaboration he described as a “historic window” for asserting Nigeria’s leadership in Africa’s economic integration.
Adeniyi urged the State House Press Corps to intensify public sensitisation ahead of the Abuja summit, noting that Day One will feature direct engagements with private-sector operators from across the continent to identify persistent barriers to the smooth movement of goods within Africa.
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