On 03 December 2025, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) advised that he had participated in the Conference for Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 17 to 19 November 2025, under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges”.
Convened by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with the support of the WCO, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the event brought together some 500 participants, among whom were Customs leaders and representatives from the private and public sectors, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.
The Conference aimed to reflect on the priorities and needs associated with the implementation of the AfCFTA, enhance collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, improve coordination among Customs authorities, discuss trade bottlenecks and structural barriers, and align Customs operations with the continental trade goals.
In the opening, the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, and WCO Council Chairperson emphasised Customs’ role as a key holder of trade data and an essential facilitator of intra-African trade, while highlighting the need for regional ownership, strong institutions, and regulatory coordination.
In his special address and keynote speech under the theme ‘Global Customs Modernization: Africa’s Opportunity’, the WCO Secretary General expressed his gratitude to the Directors-General of Customs of Africa for their administrations’ strong and longstanding engagement in the WCO and their striving to incorporate global standards into their operations, emphasising the critical role played by Customs at the intersection of economic development and border security.
The WCO SG highlighted the 15 February 2022 Memorandum of Understanding with the AfCFTA Secretariat, which is geared to supporting Customs administrations in implementing the free trade agreement. The WCO SG encouraged African Customs administrations to fully leverage WCO tools, instruments, and capacity-building initiatives in support of AfCFTA implementation.
The SG underlined Africa’s importance to the global economy, expressing support for the Customs PACT ambition to truly break down barriers and build bridges that allow Africa to continue its march toward greater prosperity through international trade.
Recognising ongoing digital reforms as foundational to success, the AfCFTA Secretary General highlighted progress in implementing digital platforms to harmonise and automate Customs operations, underscoring the need for stronger collaboration among State parties to turn the AfCFTA concept into reality.
The Afreximbank Executive Vice-President underlined that the ongoing modernisation initiatives had already yielded benefits, including reduced clearance times across the continent, supported by transit guarantee schemes, infrastructure investments, and technology partnership support.
The Office of the Vice-Chair of the WCO West and Central Africa region (WCO-WCA) expressed its commitment to organising a workshop to advance the adoption of the Conference’s takeaways, including the need for further cooperation in the areas of Transit, Border Control Posts, and the mutual Recognition of Certificates of Origin.
Closing the Conference, Comptroller-General Adeniyi emphasised the need to institutionalise C-PACT at the national level, underlining the need to integrate its governance within the AfCFTA framework.
More Information: Background
The AfCFTA is the world’s largest Free Trade Area (FTA) by the number of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, the success of this continental initiative fundamentally depends on effective coordination and harmonisation of customs procedures across Africa’s diverse regional economic communities (RECs) and national administrations.