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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Ahead of the C-PACT Conference scheduled for November 17–19, 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria’s Comptroller General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, has framed a radical shift: a conference design that centers the operational pains of private sector players—logistics firms, manufacturers, and service providers—whose daily realities are hindered by non-tariff barriers choking intra-African trade.
In a pre-event briefing at the State House Meet the Press, Adeniyi highlighted a novel approach that prioritises the private sector’s operational challenges and frustrations with non-tariff barriers obstructing intra-African trade.
He argued that AfCFTA’s potential cannot be realised while Customs administrations sit on the periphery of trade facilitation. “When you see the policy trust documents, you will see specific policies that speak towards promotion of trade, or Nigeria reestablishing itself as a trade partner,” he said, reiterating that trade policy must translate into practical relief for the private sector that moves goods across borders.
With his tenure recently renewed, Adeniyi highlighted a mandate tied to AfCFTA implementation. “Some particular KPIs were specifically mentioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. One of them is the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement,” he noted, underscoring the administration’s commitment to using trade as a driver of development and poverty alleviation. He stated clearly: “to unlock Africa’s potential, customs must lead the way in simplifying and accelerating cross-border commerce”.
Adeniyi did not mince words about the obstacles to AfCFTA’s real-world impact. “When customs implement a free trade agreement … there are issues that have to do with implementing the rules of origin or the trade preferences, suspending customs duty on trade between members of the same economic bloc. This time we’re talking about the rest of the continent of Africa,” he explained. The implication is that a fragmented approach—where some regions move faster than others—frustrates the private sector and undermines confidence in continental integration.
The Customs’s boss concern goes beyond policy gaps; it is a question of capacity and political will. “It requires capacity building. It requires a very strong political will on the side of the various countries to implement the trade agreement,” he said, noting that duties must gradually suspend to zero to foster a thriving intra-African market. Past regional efforts have shown that even well-intentioned integration schemes falter without consistent execution.
To bridge the gap, Adeniyi pointed to CIPAC—Collaboration Initiative for Partnerships for African Customs (CIPAC), also known as C-PACT. This framework aims to pull together heads of African customs, private-sector representatives (logistics, manufacturers, investors, service providers), and policymakers in a single, action-oriented forum. The conference is designed to shift power dynamics, empowering customs to negotiate, coordinate, and implement a phased duty suspension while the private sector voices its urgent operational needs.
Adeniyi reported strong early traction: about 30 African customs administrations have registered, with 22 at the Director General level. He reminded that “Governments don’t trade. Customs don’t trade. The banks will not trade, but it is the economic operators that will trade. And they are the ones this instrument of free trade is designed for.” He added that the emphasis on private-sector impact is the backbone of this conference model.
The new approach foregrounds private-sector concerns about non-tariff barriers—documentation delays, inconsistent cross-border procedures, and other frictions that inflate costs and erode competitiveness. By elevating these issues to the conference’s core agenda, C-PACT aims to translate high-level commitments into tangible throughput improvements at borders, faster customs clearance, and more predictable trade flows.
Beyond trade facilitation, Adeniyi links enhanced cross-border commerce to national security and broader socio-economic integration.
He cited notable gains in recent years: a 70% revenue increase in 2023 and a 101% rise in 2024 for Nigerian Customs, with expectations of continued progress in 2025. He framed duty-free access to Africa-produced goods as a catalyst for lower production costs, expanded markets, and greater local manufacturing—forms of investment that strengthen diversification and resilience.
CIPAC/C-PACT represents a strategic, Nigeria-led push to re-anchor AfCFTA’s gains in everyday business realities. The initiative enjoys backing from AfCFTA Secretariat, Afreximbank, and the World Customs Organization, which Adeniyi chairs.
