AfCFTA Chief Seeks Africa-wide Adoption of Nigeria Customs’ Digital Innovations

The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its technology-driven reforms, calling for the adoption of the Service’s digital innovations by customs administrations across Africa.

Mene made the call on Thursday, 6 August 2026, during a working visit to the NCS headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, where he described Nigeria’s emerging customs technology as an African solution to some of the continent’s longstanding trade facilitation and revenue challenges.

The AfCFTA chief said the digital transformation of the NCS demonstrated that African countries could develop home-grown solutions capable of addressing complex challenges in customs administration, while reducing dependence on manual processes.

He noted that several African countries continued to rely heavily on manual customs procedures, contributing to delays at borders, revenue leakages and inefficiencies that undermine the growth of intra-African trade.

According to Mene, Nigeria’s experience provides an opportunity for other African countries to learn from and replicate successful digital customs systems as the continent works towards achieving the objectives of the AfCFTA.

“What we have seen today is truly state-of-the-art. I sincerely congratulate the NCS for what it has achieved within such a short period,” he said.

“We would like to work together and learn from what Nigeria has accomplished because this innovation has inherent benefits not only for Nigeria, but for the entire African continent.”

Customs data centre as continental asset
Mene also singled out the Nigeria Customs Service’s data centre for recognition, describing the facility as a strategic asset with potential benefits beyond Nigeria.

He suggested that the infrastructure could provide a model or support mechanism for African countries that lack the financial and technical resources required to establish comparable digital customs infrastructure.

The development, he said, underscored Africa’s increasing capacity to design, deploy and manage critical digital infrastructure for its own economic and trade needs.

The AfCFTA Secretariat’s interest in Nigeria’s customs technology comes amid broader efforts to remove non-tariff barriers, reduce transaction costs and improve the movement of goods across African borders.

The AfCFTA agreement seeks to create a single African market for goods and services by progressively reducing tariffs and other barriers to trade among participating countries. Efficient and interoperable customs systems are considered critical to achieving those objectives.

For Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and one of the continent’s major trading nations, improved customs digitalisation could also strengthen the country’s role in facilitating regional trade under the continental agreement.

Adeniyi pledges deeper collaboration
Responding to the AfCFTA Secretary-General, Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi expressed appreciation for the recognition of the Service’s modernisation programme and reaffirmed its commitment to using technology to improve customs operations.

Adeniyi said the NCS would continue to develop systems that reflect Africa’s peculiar trade environment while drawing from international best practices.

“We sincerely appreciate your passion for promoting intra-African trade and strengthening the interconnectivity of customs systems across the continent,” he said. We are not done yet. We will continue to expand the frontiers of innovation, learning from global best practices while developing solutions that advance the peculiar interests of the African continent.”

The Comptroller-General further pledged the Service’s readiness to collaborate with the AfCFTA Secretariat and other African customs administrations to promote digital integration, facilitate legitimate trade and strengthen regional economic cooperation.

The visit and endorsement by Mene provide further continental recognition for the NCS modernisation agenda under Adeniyi, particularly its emphasis on technology, data-driven customs administration and trade facilitation.

The Service said the commendation would further strengthen its resolve to sustain its digital transformation and explore opportunities for sharing Nigerian-developed solutions with other African customs administrations.