The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will host two major conferences in Abuja in December 2026 to strengthen border security, facilitate legitimate trade and deepen economic integration across Africa.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference is scheduled for December 7–8, while the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference will hold from December 9–11.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, October 25, 2026, by the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, the conferences will provide platforms for reviewing ongoing reforms, strengthening institutional partnerships and developing practical solutions to border management challenges.
The CGC Conference, themed “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” will examine the Service’s modernisation efforts, assess progress against previous commitments and explore the relationship between effective Customs administration, national security and trade facilitation.
The conference will feature discussions under two sub-themes: “Enabling African Trade: Digital Customs, Trusted Corridors and Seamless Payments” and “Secure Borders, Safer Communities: Intelligence, Partnership and Trust at the Frontline.”
Participants will review commitments made in 2025 and assess results achieved in 2026, alongside presentations on Customs modernisation, the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates and discussions on measuring the impact of reforms on trade and revenue generation.
The conference will also examine intelligence-led enforcement, emerging border threats, inter-agency cooperation and the professional responsibilities of Customs officers in protecting communities and maintaining public trust.
A major focus will be the role of digital transformation and stakeholder partnerships in improving Customs operations.
Stakeholders expected to participate include AEO beneficiaries, the National Single Window Secretariat, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), excise-sector representatives and other relevant institutions.
The second day of the CGC Conference will focus on coordinated responses to emerging border threats, bringing together security and enforcement agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the NCS, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
Building on the national-level discussions, C-PACT 2026 will extend the conversation to the continental stage, bringing together Customs administrations, policymakers, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Regional Economic Communities, border management agencies, development partners, technology providers and private-sector stakeholders.
With the theme “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,” the conference will address persistent obstacles to cross-border trade, including fragmented procedures, duplicated controls, limited information exchange, incompatible digital systems and inadequate coordination among border agencies.
It will explore how One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), supported by interconnected Customs platforms, harmonised procedures, coordinated risk management and secure information exchange, can reduce delays, lower trade costs and improve the movement of goods across African trade corridors.
The C-PACT 2026 programme will feature high-level policy dialogues, strategic discussions among Customs administrations, technical sessions on connected borders, operational presentations on existing and emerging OSBPs, technology demonstrations and discussions on public-private partnerships for financing and delivering modern border infrastructure.
Participants will also examine the implementation of key AfCFTA initiatives, including the AfCFTA Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
The conference is expected to produce practical recommendations, identify priority technology and investment opportunities, strengthen institutional partnerships and develop an implementation-oriented roadmap for interconnected, digitally enabled border systems across Africa.
The NCS, under the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with national institutions, regional partners and international stakeholders to secure borders, facilitate legitimate trade and support Africa’s economic integration agenda.
Through the two conferences, the Service aims to reinforce accountability for ongoing reforms while advancing solutions that link border security with trade facilitation, technological innovation and safer communities.
The outcomes are expected to support improvements in Customs operations, deepen regional cooperation and advance the AfCFTA’s objectives of building a more integrated, competitive and prosperous African market.
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