By Stephen Ubanna
With barely seven years after the African Leaders signed the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCTA, to set up a massive free-trade area to improve regional integration and boost economic growth across the Continent, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Ph.D, Customs Comptroller General, CGC, had cued in to work closely with the Continental trade body.
The CGC, may have been encouraged to collaborate with the AFTA, Secretariat, in Accra, Capital of Ghana, to enhance continental trade integration, improve data accuracy and address structural barriers, hindering intra- African trade.
Between 2024 and now, officials of the AfCTA Secretariat with the backing of the African Leaders had made several efforts to revolutionalise trade on the Continent where’’ country to- country trade would be taken to another level to stop much of the imports coming from the Asian countries of China, India and Japan including Europe and the North American country of the United States but that was how far they could go.
Given that the Agreement represents a united African market of 1.3 billion people that is worth about US $3 trillion, and still earn African countries an additional US$450 billion in revenue by 2035 and further increase to US $29 trn by 2050, may have informed why the various Customs Administrations across the African Continent are working round the clock to improve trade in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
At present, African produced crude oil, gas, other mineral resources and rare earth elements including Lithium, gold, manganese, cobalt and uranium are exported to US, UK, Europe, China, India, Japan, and South Korea, which needed to be stopped.
This is to forestall the developed economies of US, UK, China, Japan, France, Germany and Italy South Korea of seeing the African Continent as a raw material provider for their high-tech industries, vehicle and nuclear plants.
Many believes that the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, under the Leadership of Adeniyi, who incidentally is Chairman of the World Customs Organisation, WCO, commitment to collaborating with the Accra based AfCTA Secretariat may change the story.
During a recent visit to the AfCTA Secretariat in Accra, where he had met the officials to have had a round table discussion with them on collaborative strategies for enhancing Customs efficiency and promoting the success of the Agreement, across the African Continent.
CGC Adeniyi, could not understand why trade in the West and Central African region, member countries should still be at a very dismal level as traders rush to China and India, particular, to place orders for their Merchadise, Computers, mobile phones, pharmaceutical products and other goods, which are produced with raw materials sourced from the African Continent.
CGC, Adeniyi, who could not hide his feelings had commended the AfCTA Secretariat officials for their continuous role in mobilizing stakeholders, including Customs Administrations, development partners and economic operators,’’ toward realizing Africa’s trade potential’’.
The Nigeria Customs Comptroller General, may have gladdened the heart of the AfCTA officials when he declared that the ongoing partnership with the Secretariat had provided a clear pathway for the upcoming ‘’Customs- Partnership for the African Cooperation in Trade, PACT, two-day conference, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, from November 17, 2025 -November 19, 2025.
He had asserted that the AfCTA Secretariat, over the last couple of years has been beneficial in mobilizing African Customs Administrations and economic operators to improve on intra-African trade.
The Nigerian Customs helmsman had recalled that the Service have received a concept note from the AfCTA Secretariat and have engaged the officials in a serious of meetings to resolve most of the issues to simplify trade among member countries tat had been raised.
It was not surprising why the CGC, who recently led a delegation to Netherlands, Customs Administration in Rotterdam, could his chest that the participants at the upcoming PACT Conference in Nigeria, now have a clear direction to go.
Giving an insider information the CGC had highlighted during the meeting with the AfCTA Secretariat officials that of the key outcomes of these other engagements with the trade body in the past was the consensus that Customs Administrations must take lead role in addressing the long-standing issue of deficiencies in trade across the 54countries of the African Continent.
He had alluded to the discussions with the officials of the AfCTA Secretariat, centering around the fact that Customs Administrations needs to take the front role in addressing in addressing the deficiencies in its trade data across the Continent.
He noted that ‘’this is a challenge that he has accepted to play, working with collagues to achieve results. He was said to have further noted without mincing words that the current structure established by the AfCTA Secretariat, which somewhat unites all Heads of Customs Administrations in the African Continent under one framework, must be strengthened ‘’to ensure long-term institutional coordination and policy consistency’’.
Cgc Adeniyi had suggested to the AfCTA Secretariat officials that the existing structure that had brought together all Heads of Customs administration, across Africa must be reinforced, which was said to have been accepted.
Given his wealth of experience on Customs operations and as the Chairperson of the WCO, he had remarked that once the Customs Pact is institutionalized, it should be able to operate effectively within the Secretariat ‘s framework ‘’to drive sustainable trade facilitation’’.
The Nigerian Customs boss had remarked during a meeting with the AfCTA Secretariat officials had contended of plans of addressing challenges such as poor data integration, policy fragmentation, and weak inter-agency cooperation which many believes had remained critical to unlocking Africa’s trade potential.
It was not surprising why he had expressed optimism that the PACT Conference would set a new benchmark for Customs collaboration and data-driven governance across the Continent.
In apparent response to the CGC Adeniyi’s speech at the AfCTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, AfCTA, Secretary General, had commended the Nigerian born Chairman of WCO, ‘’for his Leadership in driving continental Customs cooperation’’.
The AfCTA , Chief, had acknowledged the consistent challenges against trade gowth in Africa, including weal logistics infrastructure, high transportation costs, and limite inter-agency coordination. Mene, the AfCTA, Director General, had recalled that the AfCTA Secretariat, under his his leadership has continued to engage key stakeholders, particular, the private sector Customs Administrations and ministries of Trade, to foster stronger collaboration and sustainable trade facilitation.
The Ghanaian technocrat had expressed optimism that the planned Customs-Patnership for African Cooperation in Trade, C-Pact, Conference in Nigeria would provide a valuable platform for addressing these alleged barriers to country-to country trade and exploring actionable solutions.
The AfCTA, Secretary General, was said to have further disclosed that the Secretariat is considering ‘’institutionalizing the C-Pact Conference’’ as an annual event to sustain regional dialogue on Customs cooperation and data integration.
He had recalled an existing Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, With the WCO, stating that the partnership seeks to enhance private sector inclusion and support the issuance of Certificates of origin across the Continent.
He was said to have also highlighted the ongoing discussions regarding the development of a Single Bond Guarantee Scheme, SBGS, to strengthening the AfCTA, annexes on transit cargoes and enhance cross-border efficiency.
Emphasizing the central role of Customs Administrations in AfCTA, implementation process, the Secretary General had urged for active participation of Customs Administrations in shaping the Continent’ trade data systems, Authorised Economic Operator, AEO, Mutual Recognition Frameworks and overall trade statistics management.
