NCS, AfCFTA Coordination Committee Hold Workshop to Advance Intra-African Trade
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Committee, convened a one-day workshop aimed at bolstering trade facilitation within Africa.
Held at the Bolton White Hotel in Abuja, the workshop brought together key NCS officers, including Area Controllers, alongside representatives from the AfCFTA Coordination Office, to discuss strategic approaches to enhancing trade across the continent.
In his opening remarks, Segun Awolowo, National Coordinator of the AfCFTA Committee, emphasised the transformative potential of the AfCFTA in reshaping Africa’s economic landscape.
He highlighted the agreement’s significant role in removing tariffs on most goods and services, reducing barriers to capital and labour, and fostering a more favourable climate for investment across the continent.
“The objective of today’s workshop is to highlight the crucial role played by our trade exit points, the vital function of our port Area Controllers, and the importance of Customs command posts under the AfCFTA framework.
“These elements are pivotal in ensuring that the seamless facilitation of trade, as envisaged by the AfCFTA, becomes a practical reality for businesses in Nigeria and across Africa,” Awolowo stated.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the event was the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of the NCS Tariff & Trade Department, Caroline Niagwan, who reaffirmed the NCS’s unwavering support for the full implementation of AfCFTA.
She underscored the need for measures that simplify trade processes and encourage regional integration.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we deploy efficient measures that simplify the implementation of AfCFTA. This includes the digitisation and harmonisation of Customs procedures to facilitate the smooth flow of goods and services across African borders,” Niagwan remarked.
Niagwan further stressed the importance of modernising NCS operations by leveraging digital tools that streamline trade processes and enhance overall performance.
“To achieve the objectives of the AfCFTA, we must embrace technological advancements that enable us to carry out our mandate efficiently,” she added.
A key focus of the workshop was the significant opportunities presented by the AfCFTA for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The agreement is expected to position African SMEs to compete more effectively on the global stage by unlocking new markets and removing trade barriers.
The collaborative efforts between the NCS and the AfCFTA Coordination Committee are seen as critical to ensuring that Africa fully benefits from integrated trade, ultimately fostering sustainable economic growth across the continent.
