Border Security: Nigeria Customs Unveils December Conferences to Boost African Trade

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to host two international conferences in Abuja in December 2026, aimed at improving border security, strengthening Customs cooperation and accelerating trade integration across Africa.
The first event, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference, will hold from December 7 to 8, followed by the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference from December 9 to 11.
The CGC Conference will focus on the theme, “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” while C-PACT 2026 will be held under the theme, “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts.”
The NCS said the conferences were designed to strengthen accountability for ongoing reforms, promote intelligence-driven border enforcement and develop practical solutions to challenges affecting trade across the continent.
The CGC Conference will bring together government officials, Customs officers, business representatives and institutional partners to assess the Service’s modernisation programme and the progress made in implementing previous commitments.
Key areas of discussion will include digital Customs operations, trusted trade corridors, seamless payments, intelligence sharing, emerging security threats and cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
The conference will also assess the impact of reforms on trade and revenue generation, alongside presentations on Customs modernisation and the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator certificates.
Stakeholders, including the National Single Window Secretariat, PEBEC, excise-sector representatives and AEO beneficiaries, are expected to discuss the gains recorded through ongoing reforms and identify areas requiring further improvements.
Security will also feature prominently, with the second day dedicated to coordinated efforts to tackle threats along Nigeria’s borders.
The Office of the National Security Adviser, the NCS, the NDLEA and the NFIU are among the institutions expected to participate in discussions on strengthening intelligence-led enforcement and improving cooperation among security agencies.
Following the national conference, C-PACT 2026 will shift attention to continental trade, bringing together Customs administrations, policymakers, the AfCFTA Secretariat, Regional Economic Communities, technology providers, development partners and private-sector stakeholders.
The event will address major obstacles to African trade, including delays caused by fragmented border procedures, duplicated inspections, limited information sharing and incompatible digital systems.
According to the NCS, the discussions will examine how One-Stop Border Posts and connected Customs platforms can improve coordination among border agencies, reduce the cost of moving goods and make cross-border trade more efficient and predictable.
The conference will feature high-level policy dialogue, technical sessions, technology demonstrations and presentations on operational experiences from existing and emerging One-Stop Border Posts.
Participants will also examine public-private partnerships as a means of financing and delivering modern border infrastructure.
In addition, the programme will focus on advancing key AfCFTA initiatives, including the Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
The NCS expects the discussions to produce actionable recommendations, identify priority investment opportunities and establish an implementation roadmap for digitally connected border systems across Africa.
The Service, led by Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, said the conferences reflected its commitment to strengthening partnerships with domestic and international institutions to improve border management and facilitate legitimate trade.
It added that the outcomes would support stronger regional cooperation, improved Customs administration and the development of a more integrated and competitive African market under the AfCFTA framework.
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