Representatives from nearly 30 African countries are meeting in Abuja this week for a major conference aimed at unblocking the economic potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The conference, named the Customs-Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), is a bold initiative led by Nigeria’s Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
The core objective is to shift the focus of AfCFTA implementation away from bureaucratic protocols and towards the practical realities faced by the private sector. Mr Adeniyi, who also chairs the World Customs Organisation, stressed that customs administrations across the continent must evolve from being passive gatekeepers to active drivers of trade facilitation.
The economic rationale behind this shift is compelling. Despite the AfCFTA’s promise to create a $3.4 trillion single market, non-tariff barriers such as corruption, extortion, and cumbersome border procedures continue to make intra-African trade among the costliest in the world. Experts, such as the chief executive of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Muda Yusuf, have warned that these inefficiencies are undermining industrial competitiveness. He estimated that fixing logistics bottlenecks could cut transport costs by up to 30% and boost intra-African trade by as much as $50 billion annually.
The C-PACT conference, scheduled for November 17–19, is designed to directly confront these operational struggles. Mr Adeniyi noted, “Governments don’t trade; customs doesn’t trade. It is economic operators who move goods. Their voices must shape the reforms.” He explained that the conference will intentionally begin with sessions driven by manufacturers, logistics operators, and service providers so they can engage directly with customs chiefs
The initiative is strongly supported by the AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank, and follows a direct mandate from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Mr Adeniyi confirmed that the President’s renewed focus is to use trade as a central lever for development and poverty reduction.
“When you see the policy trust documents, you will see specific policies that speak towards the promotion of trade or Nigeria re-establishing itself as a trade partner,” Mr Adeniyi said. He insisted that these policies must translate into “concrete relief for economic operators” moving goods across borders, a crucial step if African nations are to unlock their full economic potential through seamless cross-border commerce.
