From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi, and the Secretary-General of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, have held talks over the existing bottlenecks in AfCFTA implementation and the role of customs in implementing the agreement.
Held on the sidelines of the just ended Biashara Afrika 2024 forum in Kigali, Rwanda, the discussions centred on how to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the AfCFTA agreement, given their critical role in boosting intra-African trade.
Mene commended the 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,” a statement from the Customs National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, cited Mene to say.
On his part, Adeniyi commended Mene for his unwavering commitment to advancing AfCFTA’s goals in spite of the resource constraints faced by the secretariat.
He explained that the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 “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.”
The high point of the conversation was the recent achievement of the Chief Executive Officer of Le Look Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Chinwe Ezenwa, who became the first woman to export goods under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the AfCFTA to East, Central and North African countries.
Her success, marked by the export of goods on July 16, 2024 from Apapa Port in Lagos, underscores the growing opportunities for Nigerian businesses in the continental market.
Consequent on the meeting, the AfCFTA Secretariat committed to develop a concept note on the way forward for the free trade area, while the NCS pledged to bring the discussions to the Heads of Customs Administrations platform in Africa for a coordinated approach to addressing customs-related challenges across the continent.
The Biashara Afrika, now in its second edition, has become a formidable platform for engagement between African public and private actors on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA, with this year’s edition focusing on addressing the evolving challenges in the business environment and seeking innovative solutions to facilitate cross-border trade.
