At C-PACT Summit, Customs Declare N4.82tn Intra-African Trade Volume in H1,2025, As President Tinubu Calls for Efficient Borders
President Bola Tinubu on Monday called for an Africa-wide push to make borders efficient and end market fragmentation.
Tinubu made the call when he declared open the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade in Abuja, saying the continent must move from rhetoric to measurable execution at ports and crossings.
President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said this push was imperative to guarantee Africa’s economies of scale, bargaining power and resilience.
This is even as the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi said that Nigeria’s trade with the rest of Africa rose to N4.82tn in the first half of 2025.
Adeniyi said the uptick, an increase of more than N600bn compared with the previous year, signals firmer regional trade momentum as agencies align behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
“We’re beginning to see tangible evidence that this approach is working,” Adeniyi said, explaining, “In the first half of 2025, Nigeria’s trade with other African countries reached N4.82tn, an increase of more than N600bn, compared with the previous year. This is a clear signal of strengthening regional trade momentum.”
He said exports to ECOWAS have climbed significantly,” underscoring Nigeria’s growing role as a hub for intra-continental value chains.
According to him, the gains reflect modernisation of customs and logistics, such as risk-based inspections, digital clearances, and port efficiency drives, alongside a more deliberate AfCFTA implementation.
“As we deepen our partnerships across African markets, embrace customs and logistics modernisation, and implement the AfCFTA framework more deliberately, we are turning these gains into broader regional prosperity,” he added.
AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, backed the push, assuring the Secretariat would work closely with the NCS to turn C-PACT commitments into reality.
Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation, Ian Saunders, applauded ongoing reforms and pledged support to facilitate legitimate trade, while Afreximbank Executive Vice President Kanayo Awani endorsed the continent-wide customs modernisation drive.
The maiden edition of the conference drew 464 participants from 28 countries (26 in Africa), including 10 Director-General/Commissioner-level customs chiefs and 16 diplomatic envoys (five ambassadors, several high commissioners). From the private sector, 53 chief executives and 19 managing directors.
It also saw 210 delegates from government, 175 from private firms, 40 NGOs, 14 state-owned enterprises and eight from academia
