The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deepened its partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to strengthen trade facilitation, enhance customs cooperation, and advance intra-African trade by accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In a statement signed yesterday by the National Public Relations Officer of NCS, Dr Abdullahi Maiwada, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi 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.

The commitment was reaffirmed during a working visit by the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Dr George Elombi, to the NCS Headquarters in Abuja on July 3, 2026.

According to the statement, the engagement provided both institutions with an opportunity to review the progress of their collaboration and identify new areas of cooperation to promote seamless cross-border trade and regional economic integration.

Welcoming the Afreximbank delegation, the Customs boss described the partnership as one built on a shared vision of unlocking Africa’s economic potential through stronger trade among African countries.

He added that the 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.

Adeniyi 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 improve the movement of goods across the continent.

“The partnership was founded on a single conviction that Africa’s best trading partners are within Africa and our prosperity will be built on the trade we conduct within ourselves. From the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) to our ongoing work on trade facilitation, we are turning that conviction into practical cooperation,” he said.

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

Elombi commended the Customs boss for demonstrating a clear commitment to transforming trade across the continent, while reaffirming the Bank’s readiness to expand its support for initiatives that facilitate trade and strengthen the implementation of the AfCFTA.