Nigeria Positions Itself as Continental Trade Leader Ahead of Maiden C-PACT Conference
Nigeria has reaffirmed its determination to play a defining role in reshaping intra-African trade as the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, briefed journalists at the State House Press Pool, Abuja, on Friday, 14 November 2025, ahead of the inaugural Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference scheduled for 17–19 November in the nation’s capital.
Speaking under the State House Meet the Press platform, Adeniyi said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent approval of an extension of his mandate came with clear performance benchmarks centred on trade facilitation, port decongestion, and the modernisation of Nigeria’s border management systems.
These targets, he stressed, align with the administration’s renewed emphasis on trade as a strategic catalyst for economic growth.
“Mr President has made it very clear that he intends to use trade to promote economic development and alleviate poverty. So I was not surprised that the implementation of the continental free trade agreement was specifically mentioned in my renewed mandate,” he said.
Adeniyi noted that in response to the President’s directives, he has scaled up diplomatic and technical engagements with Customs administrations across the continent, including a recent high-level meeting in Ghana with the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is pushing for stronger involvement of Customs agencies in the operationalisation of AfCFTA, warning that integration efforts risk failure if Customs administrations are not fully embedded in the process.
“For many years, regional trade arrangements struggled because Customs was not brought in early enough,” he emphasised. “If we must achieve the objectives of AfCFTA, Customs must play its role in enforcing rules of origin, applying preferences, and ensuring that goods genuinely enjoy the benefits of the agreement.”
The upcoming C-PACT Summit – Nigeria’s flagship platform for Customs-driven trade dialogue – will bring together policymakers, Customs leaders and private-sector players for three days of strategic discussions in Abuja.
According to the CGC, over 30 Customs administrations have registered to participate, with at least 22 of them led by Directors-General. He described the surge in private-sector interest as “the most encouraging indicator so far” of the summit’s relevance.
In what he referred to as a milestone for Nigeria’s diplomatic standing, Adeniyi announced that the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Ian Sanders, will visit Nigeria for the first time to attend the conference.
He said the gesture underscores global recognition of Nigeria’s rising influence in shaping continental trade policy and Customs modernisation.
Adeniyi also highlighted Nigeria’s improving export performance, noting that volumes have grown by more than 30 per cent in the last two years.
However, he stressed that the next phase of Nigeria’s trade strategy must focus on redirecting a greater share of exports to African markets, where untapped potential remains high under AfCFTA.
The CGC acknowledged the strong inter-agency collaboration supporting Nigeria’s trade agenda, citing the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, AFREXIMBANK, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, port authorities and several other actors.
Their convergence of efforts, he said, has created “a historic window” for Nigeria to consolidate its leadership position in Africa’s economic transformation.
As preparations for C-PACT enter the final stage, Adeniyi appealed to the State House Press Corps to amplify public awareness and stakeholder participation.
He revealed that the opening day of the conference will feature a dedicated session with private-sector operators from across the continent to identify the persistent operational barriers that hinder the seamless movement of goods within Africa.
Nigeria, he concluded, is ready to lead from the front as the continent works towards a harmonised and prosperous intra-African trade ecosystem.
