From left: Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and President/Chairman of Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi, during the visit recently in Abuja.

The Nigeria Customs Service and the African Export-Import Bank Afreximbank, have resolved to strengthen already existing ties as part of efforts to advance intra-African trade. Under the renewed partnership, both organisations would work toward deepening trade facilitation within the continent, enhance cooperation among African Customs Administrations and accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.

President/Chairman of Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi, made the commitment on behalf of the Bank when he paid a working visit to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, at the Customs headquarters in Abuja, last week.

It was gathered that the meeting provided a platform for both organisations to review the progress of their existing cooperation and further identify new areas to strengthen their cooperation, especially in terms of promoting seamless cross-border trade and regional economic integration of the continent.

Speaking during the meeting, the Comptroller General, who extended a warm welcome to Dr. Elombi and his delegation, described the renewed partnership as one built on a shared vision of unlocking Africa’s economic potential through stronger trade ties among African countries.

He noted that the collaboration has continued to yield tangible results in Customs modernisation and trade facilitation, particularly through initiatives designed to harmonise Customs procedures and engender seamless movement of goods across the continent’s borders.

 “We are building a partnership between the two sides, a partnership founded on a single conviction that Africa’s best trading partners are within Africa itself, and that our prosperity as a region will be built on the trade we conduct within ourselves. From C-PACT to our ongoing work on trade facilitation, we are turning that conviction into practical cooperation”, the CGC said.

He further disclosed that the partnership would support Afreximbank’s regional transit initiatives, accelerate the development of one-stop border posts along key trade corridors, and promote the adoption of global best practices to strengthen customs administration.

According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service was already recording positive outcomes from the Bank’s support for regional transit systems and expressed confidence that the collaboration would further boost Africa’s competitiveness and expand opportunities for legitimate trade.

Meanwhile, the Afreximbank President, Commending the NCS for its proactive leadership, the President of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi, described the Service’s approach as a demonstration of strong institutional commitment to transforming trade across the continent.

“It is nice to see the Comptroller Generl taking the initiative to drive this kind of engagement, which demonstrates a clear commitment to transforming trade across the continent. We have the resources, and you have the will. Together, we can make this partnership work for Africa”, he said, while reaffirming the Bank’s readiness to expand its support for initiatives that facilitate trade and strengthen the implementation of the AfCFTA.

A highpoint of the meeting was the review of the successful collaboration between both institutions organisations, which began with maiden edition of the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade, C-PACT, which held in Abuja in November 2025.

The event brought together Customs Administrations, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise Customs procedures across the continent, strengthen institutional capacity, and improve connectivity across the continent’s trading systems.