AfCFTA seeks adoption of Nigerian Customs’ digital reforms by African countries

The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for developing cutting-edge indigenous technology capable of transforming customs administration across Africa, expressing the continental body’s readiness to replicate the Service’s digital innovations in other African countries.

In a statement released on Sunday, the AfCFTA Secretary-General made the remarks during a working visit to the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, where he described the Service’s technology-driven reforms as a practical African solution to longstanding trade and revenue challenges across the continent.

The AfCFTA Secretary-General noted that many African countries still rely on manual customs processes, a situation he said contributes to revenue leakages, border delays and low intra-African trade. He stressed that Nigeria’s technological advancement offers a sustainable model for strengthening customs administration across the continent.

According to him, “What we have seen today is truly state-of-the-art. I sincerely congratulate the NCS for what it has achieved within such a short period. We would like to work together and learn from what Nigeria has accomplished because this innovation has inherent benefits not only for Nigeria, but for the entire African continent.”

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Mene further described the Nigeria Customs Service’s data centre as a strategic continental asset capable of supporting countries that lack the resources to establish similar infrastructure, adding that the facility demonstrates Africa’s growing capacity to develop and manage critical digital infrastructure independently.

Responding, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, appreciated the AfCFTA Secretary-General for recognising the Service’s modernisation efforts and reaffirmed the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to advancing technology that reflects Africa’s unique trade realities and supports the objectives of the continental free trade agreement.

The Comptroller-General said, “We sincerely appreciate your passion for promoting intra-African trade and strengthening the interconnectivity of customs systems across the continent. We are not done yet. We will continue to expand the frontiers of innovation, learning from global best practices while developing solutions that advance the peculiar interests of the African continent.”

He added that the Service remains committed to collaborating with AfCFTA and other African customs administrations to deepen digital integration, facilitate legitimate trade and strengthen regional economic cooperation, noting that the commendation from the continental trade body further reinforces the Service’s resolve to sustain its ongoing modernisation agenda.