Notes from the First C-PACT Summit in Abuja
By Abdulsalam Mahmud,
There are moments in a nation’s life that do not come with loud fanfare, yet they carry the quiet gravity of a turning point. The maiden Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade, C-PACT Summit, which held in Abuja from the 17th to the 19th of November 2025, felt like such a moment.
It drew people, ideas and ambitions from across the continent into a single room, compelling Africa to look itself in the mirror and confront both its hurdles and its possibilities. It was a gathering built on one simple truth: the borders that separate African countries have grown too heavy, too slow and too expensive for the future Africa seeks.
That truth was what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, placed before the continent on the opening day. His message was stripped of embellishment. Africa must break down the outdated borders that frustrate traders and undermine economies, and embrace a unified Customs architecture capable of ushering the continent into a new era.
The Vice President spoke with the calm assurance of someone who understood what was at stake. Africa’s vast market and huge population, he said, would remain a beautiful but empty promise unless governments find the courage to replace their scattered approaches with coordinated policies.
Integration is not a slogan; it is engineered through technology, political will and institutions that walk in the same direction. He pointed to the reforms already taking root at home. Exchange rate unification, the removal of fuel subsidy, port modernisation and a stronger push for Customs digitalisation were not isolated decisions.
They were pillars of a broader attempt to build a Nigeria where trade moves with clarity rather than confusion. His announcement that the National Single Window will go live in March 2026, slashing clearance time from twenty-one days to less than seven, drew a thoughtful silence from delegates.
It showed that Nigeria was not only urging the continent to reform; it was already walking the path with a seriousness that invites respect. One could feel, across the hall, that these opening words set the rhythm for what unfolded over the next three days. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stepped forward with the calm firmness of someone who had done his homework.
He reminded the gathering that his extended mandate from the President came with clear performance indicators tied to the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. AfCFTA, for him, was not an abstract continental dream.
It was the practical work spread out on his desk every day. And he walked the delegates through engagements in Ghana and other countries, insisting—again and again—that Customs must occupy the centre of AfCFTA’s execution. Rules of origin, preferential duty regimes and the administration of trade preferences are not footnotes; they are the pillars on which AfCFTA stands.
Adeniyi revisited the past with honesty. Regional integration efforts like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme had faltered because countries made commitments but rarely honoured them. AfCFTA, he said, must refuse such a fate. Africa must summon the discipline it once lacked and match its lofty declarations with real consistency.
He acknowledged that the continent remains uneven in readiness, yet recent engagements show that consensus is forming. African nations are beginning to agree that Customs administrations must guide the continent’s trading future. It was this sustained advocacy that gave birth to C-PACT itself, a platform that pulls Customs administrations, regulators and the private sector into one continuous conversation.
There was pride in the room when he announced that thirty Customs administrations had registered for the summit, with twenty-two represented at Director-General level. And for the first time, the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation was in Nigeria for a Customs conference.
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These were not ceremonial feats. They were signs that Nigeria’s leadership was resonating beyond its borders. As the sessions deepened, so did the conversations—non-tariff barriers, cargo delays, and the many policy inconsistencies that still haunt African trade. Voices came from every corner of the continent, converging on a single truth: Africa’s promise is too abundant to be trapped behind antiquated systems.
The Minister of State for Finance, Doris Anite, speaking for the Minister of Finance, added that Customs reform is not merely a border-management issue. It is central to Nigeria’s fiscal evolution, its attractiveness to investors and its competitiveness in global markets. Trade facilitation, she said, must become the heartbeat of development.
The Minister of Trade, Investment and Industry, Jumoke Oduwole, brought a necessary frankness. AfCFTA may be Africa’s most important economic instrument, but structural delays and outdated processes still choke its impact. She highlighted joint projects with the Nigeria Customs Service—tariff concession schedules and an emerging air-cargo export corridor linking Nigeria to East and Southern Africa.
The Secretary-General of the WCO, Ian Saunders, distilled the vision into a memorable line from the organisation’s motto: borders divide; Customs connects. Africa’s 2025 growth outlook may look encouraging on paper, he said, but without efficient Customs systems, the numbers will remain wishful projections.
AfreximBank’s Executive Vice President, Kanayo Awani, added a broader financial view. Digital tracking systems, transit-bond guarantees and the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund—these were some of the tools the Bank is deploying to help African countries modernise and cushion revenue losses. But she was clear: without harmonised and interoperable systems, AfCFTA would stay stuck on the runway.
The Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, made one of the day’s most grounded interventions. The annexes on Customs cooperation, transit and trade facilitation, he said, will remain lifeless pages unless Customs administrations take ownership. Policies only matter when they translate into real experiences at border posts.
That responsibility lies with Customs. By the second day, the private sector’s voice had grown stronger. Freight operators, manufacturers, port administrators, exporters and logistics firms spoke honestly about delays, documentation hurdles and fluctuating procedures. Their interventions gave the summit a human face—people whose livelihoods depend on borders that work.
The summit’s closing last Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton did not feel like an ending. It felt like a continent signing the first page of a long commitment. CGC Adeniyi captured the mood succinctly. Africa, he said, has finally moved from fragmented attempts to collective solutions.
He explained that C-PACT will now function as a standing mechanism—a space where Customs administrations can continue engaging, reviewing progress and aligning national systems with continental standards. The confidence in his words was not naïve. It was rooted in the depth and sincerity of the conversations that had taken place.
Delegates expressed satisfaction with the technical discussions on rules of origin, transit regimes, risk management, digital documentation and gender inclusion. These were the practical building blocks of efficient trade.
There was a shared understanding that non-tariff barriers must be dismantled with methodical precision. Paperwork delays, inconsistent procedures and arbitrary border practices cannot coexist with the Africa envisioned under AfCFTA.
For the private sector, the summit offered something rare: a real listening ear. The National President of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents, Emenike Kingsley, said it was the first time in years that economic operators and Customs managers sat together to examine constraints frankly.
As participants dispersed, it became clear that the promise of C-PACT rests not in the powerful speeches delivered, but in the choices the continent will make afterwards. Africa has been handed another tool for shaping its economic destiny. Whether it succeeds will depend on the honesty and discipline of those who gathered in Abuja.
But for three memorable days, Africa caught a glimpse of what its trading future could look like—connected, confident and courageous enough to confront the systems slowing it down. And so, in the quiet glow of Abuja, the maiden C-PACT Summit left behind a lingering reminder: Africa’s rise will not be declared. It will be built—through patience, persistence and the hard work of integration.
Mahmud, Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, wrote in via: [email protected].
