The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it is committed to enhancing intra-African trade, aimed at deepening economic integration in the region.
The Comptroller-General (C-G) of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made the commitment when he met with the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, and other key stakeholders as part of efforts to achieve the feat.
A statement by NCS Spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada on Sunday in Abuja said that the high-level discussion took place on the sidelines of the Biashara Afrika 2024 Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
Maiwada stated that the discussions were focused on addressing existing bottlenecks and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the AfCFTA agreement.
He explained that SMEs play a critical role in boosting intra-African trade, with emphasis on the constitutional duties of the customs.
According to him, the meeting between the C-G and Mene provided a unique opportunity to refine strategies aimed at improving trade facilitation in alignment with the AfCFTA agreement.
Maiwada quoted the C-G as commending the secretary general‘s commitment to advancing the goals of AfCFTA in spite of the constraint of resources.
He acknowledged the support provided by President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the legislature through the NCS Act 2023 toward repositioning the service.
“The Act has been instrumental in providing the necessary legal framework for implementing initiatives that align with the government’s vision of making Nigeria the most efficient trading nation on the continent.
“It is also fostering SMEs growth and boosting exports to strengthen intra-African trade,” he said.
The AfCFTA agreement entered into by African Union (AU) member states was aimed at creating the largest free trade area in the world for participating countries.
Unveiled in 2021, AfCFTA seeks to boost intra-African trade by reducing tariffs on goods, facilitating the movement of capital and people, and creating a single market for goods and services, aimed at promoting industrialisation.
