The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) plans December talks in Abuja on linking African customs systems, seeking to ease the repeated checks and data gaps that it says slow cross-border trade.
The NCS said Oct. 25 that its Comptroller-General of Customs Conference is scheduled for Dec. 7–8, 2026, ahead of the Dec. 9–11 Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) conference. The first meeting will focus on Nigeria’s customs reforms and border security; the second will address cooperation among African customs authorities.
The NCS says multiple inspections and systems that cannot readily share data add friction at borders. It plans to examine One-Stop Border Posts and connected digital platforms as possible ways to reduce delays and trade costs. Those are expected benefits, rather than results the agency has reported.
C-PACT delegates are due to discuss three initiatives: the Electronic Certificate of Origin system, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Integrated Transit System. Public-private partnerships for border infrastructure are also set for discussion.
At the national meeting, delegates will assess the agency’s 2026 achievements against commitments made a year earlier. Planned sessions cover digital operations, trusted trade corridors, payments and intelligence-led enforcement, as well as the effects of customs reforms on trade and revenue. The NCS plans to present Authorised Economic Operator certificates.
On the second day, the NCS expects the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take part in discussions on responses to border threats.
The first C-PACT conference took place in Abuja on Nov. 17–19, 2025. The World Customs Organization said the NCS convened it with support from the organization, the AfCFTA Secretariat and the African Export-Import Bank. About 500 people attended, it said.
The NCS expects the Dec. 9–11 conference to produce recommendations and a roadmap for connecting border systems.
