AfCFTA Chief Commends Nigeria Customs’ Digital Innovation, Pushes for Continental Adoption


By Aviashima Toom, Abuja. 

The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its technology-driven reforms, calling for the adoption of Nigeria’s indigenous customs innovations across Africa.

Mene made the remarks on Thursday, August 6, 2026, during a working visit to the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, where he described the Service’s digital transformation initiatives as practical African solutions to some of the continent’s longstanding trade and revenue challenges.

The AfCFTA Secretary-General noted that several African countries still depend heavily on manual customs processes, which contribute to revenue leakages, border delays and barriers to the growth of intra-African trade.

He said Nigeria’s progress in deploying technology for customs administration provides a model that could be replicated across the continent to improve efficiency, transparency and trade facilitation.

“What we have seen today is truly state-of-the-art. I sincerely congratulate the NCS for what it has achieved within such a short period. We would like to work together and learn from what Nigeria has accomplished because this innovation has inherent benefits not only for Nigeria, but for the entire African continent,” Mene said.

He also described the Nigeria Customs Service data centre as a strategic continental asset, noting that its infrastructure could potentially support African countries that lack the financial and technical capacity to develop similar facilities.

According to him, the development demonstrates Africa’s increasing ability to design, deploy and manage critical digital infrastructure using home-grown expertise.

Responding, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, expressed appreciation to the AfCFTA Secretary-General for recognising the Service’s ongoing modernisation efforts.

Adeniyi reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to developing technology-driven solutions that respond to Africa’s unique trade environment while supporting the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

“We sincerely appreciate your passion for promoting intra-African trade and strengthening the interconnectivity of customs systems across the continent.

 We are not done yet. We will continue to expand the frontiers of innovation, learning from global best practices while developing solutions that advance the peculiar interests of the African continent,” he said.

The Comptroller-General further stated that the Service would continue to collaborate with AfCFTA and other African customs administrations to deepen digital integration, facilitate legitimate trade and strengthen regional economic cooperation.

He noted that the recognition from the continental trade body would further motivate the Nigeria Customs Service to sustain its modernisation drive and explore new technologies capable of transforming customs administration and trade facilitation across Africa.

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