Customs facilitates first shipment from Nigeria to Kenya under AfCFTA

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has facilitated Nigeria’s first shipment to Kenya, with Lucky Fibres, a subsidiary of the Tolaram Group, becoming one of the first companies to ship goods to Kenya under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).

In a statement released today by the Customs Service, the Senior Trade Expert and Lead of Trade Enablement at the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Olusegun Olutayo, noted that the shipment from Nigeria to Kenya, specifically to the port of Mombasa, demonstrates the collaborative spirit of AfCFTA.

Olutayo visited the Apapa Area Command on October 30, 2024, to ensure proper documentation and verification of the shipment and emphasised the critical role of the service as the Designated Competent Authority (DCA) under AfCFTA, leveraging its expertise to ensure seamless trade.

“The Nigeria Customs Service has been fantastic; they are ready to facilitate trade. Once they hear that there is an issue, particularly around AfCFTA, you will see everybody ready to support and facilitate it, which is the essence of true trade facilitation,” he stated.

The Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Olusola Salako, the releasing officer for Lilypond Export Command at Apapa Area Command, highlighted the Nigeria Customs Service’s efforts to leverage technology to ensure that AfCFTA is successful in Africa.

He said the service has aligned with the mandates of the World Customs Organisation to prioritise the importance of trade.

“Gone are the days when we experienced issues. Today, we have a Unified Customs Management System (UCMS). With trade becoming more global, we went back to the drawing board and improved our technology, which will help us facilitate trade,” Salako said.

“The service is already in top gear; officers have been trained, and we have dedicated officers, senior officers, and releasing officers for this particular export procedure—not limited to AfCFTA alone—and we also have dedicated ports.”