Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Committee, last week, held a one-day workshop aimed at boosting intra-African trade.
The workshop, held at the Bolton White Hotel in Abuja, was part of efforts to enhance trade facilitation across the African Continent.
The event brought together key officers of the NCS, including Area Controllers and representatives from the AfCFTA Coordination Office, to discuss strategies for improving trade across Africa.
In his opening remarks, Mr Segun Awolowo, National Coordinator of the AfCFTA Committee, highlighted the immense potential of AfCFTA in transforming the economic landscape of Africa.
He emphasised the agreement’s role in eliminating tariffs on most goods and services, reducing barriers to capital and labour, and creating a more favourable environment 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 said.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, restated the commitment of NCS to fully supporting the implementation of AfCFTA through measures that simplify trade processes and promote regional integration.
Adeniyi was represented at the event by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of the NCS Tariff & Trade Department, Caroline Niagwan.
“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.
She further stressed the need for the NCS to modernise its operations by leveraging digital tools that streamline trade processes and improve 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.
The workshop also addressed the significant opportunities AfCFTA presents 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 were considered essential in ensuring that the Continent fully benefits from integrated trade, ultimately fostering sustainable economic growth across Africa.
The workshop marks another step in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to align its trade policies with the broader vision of African economic integration and development.
