By Chesa Chesa
No fewer than representatives of 30 African countries are in Abuja today for the Customs-Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference being hosted in the nation’s capital by the Nigeria Customs Service as part of efforts to optimize the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
This is the initiative of Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who is making a bold and innovative move to position the private sector as the focus point of implementing the AfCTFA.
Scheduled for November 17–19, 2025, the confabbrings together African customs chiefs, private-sector leaders, and policymakers in a forum deliberately engineered to confront the operational realities inhibiting intra-African trade.
C-PACT reflects a Nigeria-led push to anchor AfCFTA in everyday business reality, with the strong backing of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Afreximbank, and the World Customs Organization—which Adeniyi currently chairs.
Early response has been strong: nearly 30 African customs administrations have registered, including 22 at the Director-General level.
During a pre-event briefing at the State House on Friday, Adeniyi explained that his C-PACT initiative breaks from tradition by placing the private sector’s daily struggles at its core because logistics operators, manufacturers, and service providers continue to battle non-tariff barriers that restrict the free movement of goods—a structural flaw AfCFTA cannot afford.
He stressed that Customs administrations must shift from passive gatekeepers to active drivers of trade facilitation, noting that “when you see the policy trust documents, you will see specific policies that speak towards the promotion of trade or Nigeria re-establishing itself as a trade partner.”
With his tenure recently renewed, Adeniyi emphasized that such policies must translate into concrete relief for economic operators moving goods across borders.
According to him: “Some particular KPIs were specifically mentioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. One of them is the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement,” which indicates the administration’s intent to use trade as a lever for development and poverty reduction.
He further pointed out that to unlock Africa’s potential, various Customs services must lead the way in simplifying and accelerating cross-border commerce.”
