The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will host two conferences in Abuja in December to strengthen border security, modernise customs operations and improve trade integration across Africa.
NCS spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, describing the conferences as part of efforts to facilitate legitimate trade.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference will hold from Dec. 7 to Dec. 8, followed by the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) Conference from Dec. 9 to Dec. 11.
Maiwada said the CGC Conference, with the theme ‘Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities’, would review modernisation efforts and previous commitments.
He said the conference would examine the relationship between effective customs administration, national security and trade facilitation.
“The CGC Conference will provide a platform to review the service’s modernisation efforts.
“It will assess progress against previous commitments and reinforce the relationship between effective Customs administration, national security, and trade facilitation,” he said.
According to him, the event will bring together relevant stakeholders and institutional partners to assess progress in implementing modernisation and trade facilitation reforms.
He said participants would review commitments made in 2025 and results achieved in 2026, alongside presentations on customs modernisation.
The programme would also feature the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates and discussions on measuring reforms’ impact on trade and revenue.
Maiwada said the conference would examine intelligence-led enforcement, emerging border threats, inter-agency collaboration and officers’ professional responsibilities in protecting communities and maintaining public trust.
He added that digital transformation and stakeholder partnerships would feature prominently in discussions on improving customs operations and strengthening accountability.
The conference will also provide opportunities to assess reform outcomes, identify areas requiring further improvement and strengthen cooperation among security and enforcement agencies.
Building on the CGC Conference, C-PACT will focus on coordinated border management and digital connectivity to improve trade across African countries.
Maiwada said the conference, with the theme ‘One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,’ would bring together relevant stakeholders and agencies to strengthen African trade cooperation.
He said discussions would address persistent obstacles to cross-border trade, including fragmented procedures, duplicated controls, limited information exchange and incompatible digital systems.
He added that insufficient coordination among border agencies would also feature among the challenges requiring practical solutions.
Maiwada said the conference would explore how One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), supported by interconnected customs platforms, coordinated risk management and harmonised procedures, could reduce delays and lower trade costs.
Secure information exchange, he said, would also help improve the predictability of goods movement along African trade corridors.
Maiwada said participants would examine implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiatives, including the Integrated Transit System, Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
He said the discussions were expected to generate practical recommendations, identify priority technology and investment opportunities, and strengthen institutional partnerships.
The conference would also seek to develop an implementation-oriented roadmap for interconnected, digitally enabled border systems across Africa.
Maiwada said the Comptroller-General of Customs and his management remained committed to strengthening collaboration with national institutions, regional partners and international stakeholders.
He said the objective was to secure borders, facilitate legitimate trade and support Africa’s economic integration agenda.
“Through the CGC Conference and C-PACT 2026, the service seeks to reinforce accountability for ongoing reforms while advancing practical solutions that connect border security with trade facilitation, technological innovation and safer communities,” he said.
