Customs rides on $50bn AfCFTA to enhance African trade

Adewale Adeniyi, comptroller-general of Customs (CGC), has held a high-level meeting with Wamkele Mene, secretary general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to enhance trade among African countries.

At the Biashara Afrika 2024 forum in Kigali, Rwanda, key stakeholders came together to discuss ways to enhance intra-African trade and foster deeper economic integration.

The meeting provided a unique opportunity to refine strategies aimed at improving trade facilitation under the AfCFTA agreement.

They pointed out the need to address existing bottlenecks and encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the agreement, given their critical role in boosting intra-African trade.

Emphasis was placed on the role of Customs in trade facilitation and economic integration.

Mene lauded the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its progressive initiatives, including the pilot phase of the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, the implementation of advanced rulings, and the conduct of time-release studies.

“These initiatives have positioned the NCS as a benchmark for Customs administrations across Africa,” he added.

Read also:Nigeria’s first shipment under AfCFTA, major milestone, but challenges remain

Responding, Adeniyi commended the Secretary-General of AfCFTA for committing to advance the AfCFTA’s goals despite resource constraints faced by the Secretariat.

He acknowledged the critical support provided by President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the legislative arm through the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

“The Act has been instrumental in providing the necessary legal framework for implementing initiatives that align with the government’s vision of making Nigeria the most efficient trading nation on the continent, fostering SME growth, and boosting exports to strengthen intra-African trade,” he said.

Nigeria recently commenced trading under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the AfCFTA which enabled exporters such as Chinwe Ezenwa, CEO of LE LOOK Nigeria Limited, to become the first woman to export goods to East, Central, and North African countries under AfCFTA.

Her success marked by the export of goods from Apapa Port in Lagos, underscores the growing opportunities for Nigerian businesses in the continental market.

AfCFTA Secretariat pledged to develop a concept note outlining the way forward for the free trade area.

In turn, the NCS pledged to bring these discussions to the Heads of Customs Administrations platform in Africa, ensuring a coordinated approach to addressing customs-related challenges across the continent.