African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Committee has emphasised the vital function Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has to play under the AfCFTA framework in enhancing trade facilitation and creating a more favourable environment for investment across the continent.
  
The National Coordinator of the AfCFTA Committee, Segun Awolowo, 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.  He spoke during a workshop, organised by AfCFTA Coordination Committee in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), held in Abuja from October 17.
  
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.

Awolowo highlighted the immense potential of AfCFTA in transforming Africa’s economic landscape. 
  
“The objective of the 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 seamless facilitation of trade, as envisaged by AfCFTA, becomes a practical reality for businesses in Nigeria and across Africa,” Awolowo said.
  
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the event, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of the Tariff and Trade Department, Caroline Niagwan, reiterated the NCS’s commitment to the implementation of AfCFTA through measures that simplified trade processes and promote regional integration.
  
He said it was the responsibility of the NCS team to ensure the deployment of efficient measures that would simplify the implementation of AfCFTA through the digitisation and harmonisation of Customs procedures to facilitate the smooth flow of goods and services across African borders.
  
Adeniyi further stressed the need for the NCS to modernise its operations by leveraging digital tools that streamline trade processes and improve overall performance.