Customs to Host Two Conferences on Border Security, African Trade Integration
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will host two major conferences in Abuja in December to strengthen border security, improve trade facilitation and accelerate economic integration across Africa.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference will hold from 7 to 8 December 2026, while the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference is scheduled for 9 to 11 December.
According to a statement issued by the NCS on Sunday, the conferences will bring together government officials, Customs administrators, security agencies, trade stakeholders, policymakers, technology providers and development partners to explore practical solutions to challenges affecting border management and cross-border trade.
The CGC’s Conference, themed “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” will focus on the Service’s modernisation efforts, assess progress made towards previous commitments and examine the relationship between effective Customs administration, national security and trade facilitation.
The C-PACT 2026 Conference, with the theme “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,” will extend discussions to the continental level, focusing on coordinated border management, digital connectivity and measures to make trade across African countries more efficient.
The NCS said the conferences reflected its commitment, under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to strengthening collaboration with national institutions, regional partners and international stakeholders.
The national conference will feature discussions on digital Customs operations, trusted trade corridors, seamless payments, intelligence-led enforcement and cooperation among security agencies.
Participants will review commitments made in 2025 and assess results achieved in 2026, alongside presentations on Customs modernisation and the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates.
The programme will also examine how to measure the impact of ongoing reforms on trade volumes, revenue generation and the efficiency of Customs operations.
The NCS said the conference would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to evaluate the benefits of digital transformation and identify areas requiring further improvement.
Stakeholders expected to participate in the discussions include AEO beneficiaries, the National Single Window Secretariat, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), representatives of the excise sector and other relevant institutions.
The conference will also consider the role of intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation and professional conduct in addressing emerging threats at Nigeria’s borders.
According to the Service, the second day of the conference will focus on coordinated responses to increasingly interconnected border threats, with the participation of institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the NCS, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The discussions are expected to address the need for stronger information sharing and coordinated enforcement to tackle security threats while ensuring that legitimate businesses and traders are not subjected to unnecessary delays.
The C-PACT 2026 Conference will build on these national discussions by bringing together Customs administrations, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Regional Economic Communities, border management agencies, development partners and private-sector operators.
The continental conference will examine persistent obstacles to cross-border trade, including fragmented procedures, duplicated inspections, inadequate information exchange, incompatible digital systems and poor coordination among border agencies.
The NCS said these challenges continued to undermine the efficiency of trade corridors and increase the time and costs associated with moving goods across African borders.
A major focus will be the development of One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), which allow border agencies from neighbouring countries to coordinate their operations and conduct relevant controls at a shared facility.
Supported by interconnected Customs platforms, harmonised procedures, coordinated risk management and secure information exchange, the approach is expected to reduce delays, lower trading costs and make the movement of goods across African trade routes more predictable.
The C-PACT programme will feature high-level policy discussions, strategic engagements among Customs administrations, technical sessions on connected borders, technology demonstrations and presentations on operational experiences from existing and emerging One-Stop Border Posts.
Participants will also examine public-private partnerships as a means of financing and delivering modern border infrastructure.
The conference will place particular emphasis on implementing AfCFTA initiatives, including the AfCFTA Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
These initiatives are intended to support more efficient transit procedures, reduce administrative barriers and improve the documentation and movement of goods across participating African countries.
The NCS said the conference was expected to produce practical recommendations, identify priority investment and technology opportunities, strengthen institutional partnerships and develop an implementation-focused roadmap for interconnected, digitally enabled border systems across the continent.
The Service added that the outcomes of both conferences would reinforce accountability for ongoing reforms while advancing solutions that link border security with trade facilitation, technological innovation and safer communities.
It expressed confidence that stronger Customs cooperation and more integrated border systems would contribute to the AfCFTA’s objectives of creating a more integrated, competitive and prosperous African market.
