The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Mr. Ian Saunders, participated in the Conference for Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT), held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 17 to 19 November 2025, under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges”.
Convened by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with the support of the WCO, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the event brought together some five hundred participants, among whom were Customs leaders and representatives from the private and public sectors, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.
The Conference aimed to reflect on the priorities and needs associated with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), enhance collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, improve coordination among Customs authorities, discuss trade bottlenecks and structural barriers, and align Customs operations with the continental trade goals.
In the opening, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service and WCO Council Chairperson, emphasized Customs’ role as key holders of trade data and essential facilitators of intra-African trade, while highlighting the need for regional ownership, strong institutions, and regulatory coordination.
In his special address and keynote speech under the theme ‘Global Customs Modernization: Africa’s Opportunity’, the WCO Secretary General expressed his gratitude to the Directors-General of Customs of Africa for their administrations’ strong and longstanding engagement in the WCO and their striving to incorporate global standards into their operations, emphasizing the critical role played by Customs at the intersection of economic development and border security.
He highlighted the 15 February 2022 Memorandum of Understanding with the AfCFTA Secretariat, which is geared at supporting Customs administrations in implementing the free trade agreement, and encouraged African Customs administrations to fully leverage WCO tools, instruments and capacitybuilding initiatives in support of AfCFTA implementation.
The Secretary General underlined Africa's importance to the global economy, expressing support for the Customs PACT ambition to truly break down barriers and build bridges that allow Africa to continue its march toward greater prosperity through international trade.
For Mr. Saunders, “...While much work has been done, there remains more to do. Continuing to advance concepts into action via assistance will contribute. National administrations optimizing use of the expertise they’ve received will be another important ingredient. Leadership investment and attention to consolidate gains will be critical”.
Recognizing ongoing digital reforms as foundational to success, the AfCFTA Secretary General, Mr. Wamkele Mene, highlighted progress on implementing digital platforms to harmonize and automate Customs operations, underscoring the need for stronger collaboration among State parties to move the AfCFTA concept from ideology to reality.
Afreximbank Executive Vice-President, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, underlined how the ongoing modernization initiatives have already yielded benefits in terms of reduced clearance times across the continent, supported by transit guarantee schemes, infrastructure investments, and partnership in technology support.
The Office of the Vice-Chair of the WCO West and Central Africa region (WCO-WCA) expressed commitment to organize a workshop to progress towards the adoption of the takeaways from the Conference, including the need for further cooperation in the areas of Transit, Border Control Posts, and mutual Recognition of Certificates of Origin.
Closing the Conference, Comptroller-General Adeniyi emphasized the need to institutionalize C-PACT at the national level, underlining the need to integrate its Governance under the framework of the AfCFTA.