By Julius Peter, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to host two major conferences in Abuja in December 2026 to strengthen border security, accelerate digital transformation, facilitate legitimate trade and advance economic integration across Africa.

The conferences, comprising the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference scheduled for December 7 to 8 and the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference billed for December 9 to 11, are expected to bring together government officials, Customs administrations, security agencies, policymakers, trade stakeholders, technology providers and international development partners.

According to a press release issued on Sunday, October 25, by the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, PhD, the two events will provide platforms for evaluating ongoing Customs reforms, strengthening institutional partnerships and developing practical solutions to challenges affecting border management and cross-border commerce.

The CGC Conference, themed “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” will focus on the relationship between effective Customs administration, national security, trade facilitation and community safety.

The C-PACT 2026 Conference, with the theme “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,” will expand discussions to the continental level, focusing on coordinated border management, digital connectivity and stronger cooperation among African countries.

The conferences reflect the Service’s commitment, under the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, to building a modern Customs administration capable of addressing emerging security threats while supporting legitimate commercial activities and regional economic development.

The first conference will bring together relevant government officials, Customs leadership, trade operators, institutional partners and other stakeholders to assess the progress of the Service’s modernisation agenda and examine the impact of reforms introduced to improve operational efficiency.

The programme will feature discussions under two major sub-themes: “Enabling African Trade: Digital Customs, Trusted Corridors and Seamless Payments” and “Secure Borders, Safer Communities: Intelligence, Partnership and Trust at the Frontline.”

These discussions are expected to examine how digital technologies, improved procedures and stronger partnerships can reduce delays in cargo clearance, enhance transparency and strengthen the capacity of Customs officers to detect and prevent illicit activities.

Participants will also review commitments made during the 2025 conference and assess the results achieved in 2026, providing an opportunity to measure progress, identify implementation gaps and establish priorities for further reforms.

The programme will feature presentations on Customs modernisation, the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates and discussions on measuring the effects of reforms on trade performance and revenue generation.

The AEO programme is particularly relevant to efforts to improve cooperation between Customs authorities and businesses by recognising eligible operators that meet established compliance and security requirements.

Through trusted arrangements and risk-based procedures, such initiatives can help facilitate legitimate trade while enabling Customs authorities to concentrate enforcement resources on higher-risk consignments.

The conference will also examine the professional responsibilities of Customs officers, particularly in intelligence-led enforcement, inter-agency cooperation and the protection of public trust.

A major component of the CGC Conference will be an assessment of how digital transformation and collaboration with private-sector operators and government institutions are improving Customs operations.

Stakeholders expected to participate in these discussions include AEO beneficiaries, the National Single Window Secretariat, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), representatives of the excise sector and other relevant institutions.

The engagement is expected to provide an opportunity to review the practical outcomes of existing reforms, identify operational bottlenecks and recommend measures to improve the efficiency of trade-related services.

Digital Customs systems are increasingly important to modern trade administration, particularly in reducing manual processes, improving access to information, strengthening transparency and enabling faster coordination among agencies responsible for regulating the movement of goods across borders.

The proposed discussions will therefore examine how interconnected systems, simplified procedures and seamless payments can improve the experience of compliant businesses while strengthening government oversight.

The involvement of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors is also expected to help ensure that reforms respond to the practical needs of importers, exporters, manufacturers, logistics operators and other participants in the trade ecosystem.

The second day of the CGC Conference will focus on coordinated responses to converging border threats, highlighting the importance of intelligence sharing and collaboration among institutions responsible for national security, financial monitoring and law enforcement.

Participating institutions will include the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

The engagement is expected to address the growing complexity of border-related threats and the need for agencies to coordinate their responses rather than operate through isolated enforcement structures.

Effective border management requires more than physical inspection of goods and documents. It also depends on intelligence gathering, risk assessment, timely information exchange and the ability of relevant institutions to identify suspicious transactions and movements.

Closer cooperation among Customs, drug enforcement authorities, financial intelligence institutions and national security agencies can strengthen efforts to combat smuggling, illicit drug trafficking, trade-based financial crimes and other illegal activities that undermine public safety and economic stability.

The conference will also provide an opportunity to reinforce the professional standards expected of officers operating at the frontline, particularly their responsibilities in protecting communities, enforcing the law and maintaining public confidence in Customs administration.

Following the national conference, C-PACT 2026 will broaden the discussion to the continental level, providing a platform for African countries and their partners to develop more coordinated approaches to border management and trade facilitation.

The conference is expected to attract 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.

Its central focus will be the development of interconnected border systems that allow neighbouring countries to coordinate procedures, exchange information securely and reduce unnecessary duplication in the processing of cross-border trade.

Despite ongoing efforts to deepen regional integration, cross-border commerce in Africa continues to face challenges associated with fragmented procedures, repeated inspections, limited information sharing, incompatible digital platforms and inadequate coordination among border agencies.

These challenges can increase the time and cost required to move goods across national boundaries, create uncertainty for businesses and weaken the competitiveness of African products in regional and international markets.

C-PACT 2026 will explore how One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), supported by connected Customs platforms and harmonised procedures, can address these difficulties.

Under the OSBP model, neighbouring countries coordinate border control processes at designated facilities to reduce duplication and improve the movement of people and goods.

When supported by effective information exchange, coordinated risk management and interoperable digital systems, the model can help reduce delays, lower trade costs and make the movement of goods across African trade corridors more predictable.

The conference will also examine the institutional arrangements and technological investments required to make such systems effective, including cooperation between Customs administrations and other agencies operating at national borders.

An important element of C-PACT 2026 will be discussions on implementing key initiatives designed to simplify trade procedures and improve the movement of goods across African markets.

These include the AfCFTA Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.

The AfCFTA Integrated Transit System is intended to support more coordinated transit procedures, while the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme seeks to simplify guarantee requirements for goods moving through multiple jurisdictions.

The Electronic Certificate of Origin system is designed to support the digital processing and verification of documents used to establish the origin of goods for preferential trade under applicable arrangements.

Effective implementation of these initiatives could help reduce administrative burdens, improve transparency and facilitate the application of agreed trade rules across participating countries.

For businesses engaged in intra-African commerce, more predictable procedures and reduced border delays could improve supply-chain planning, reduce logistics costs and create opportunities to expand into new markets.

For governments, stronger digital connectivity and coordinated controls could improve the monitoring of goods in transit, strengthen compliance and support more effective revenue administration.

However, achieving these benefits will require sustained cooperation among participating countries, investment in digital infrastructure, compatible data systems and the harmonisation of relevant procedures.

The conference is expected to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to examine these requirements and identify practical steps towards implementing the initiatives more effectively.

The C-PACT programme will feature high-level policy dialogue, strategic discussions among Customs administrations, technical sessions on connected borders, presentations of operational experiences from existing and emerging One-Stop Border Posts, and demonstrations of relevant technologies.

Participants will also discuss public-private partnerships as a means of financing and delivering modern border infrastructure.

The involvement of private-sector operators and technology providers is expected to broaden discussions on practical solutions for improving border operations, particularly in areas requiring substantial investment in infrastructure, digital systems and technical expertise.

The conference will also examine how existing border facilities can be strengthened and how lessons from successful operations can be adapted to other trade corridors across the continent.

Beyond the exchange of ideas, the NCS expects the event to generate practical recommendations, identify priority technology and investment opportunities, strengthen institutional partnerships and produce an implementation-oriented roadmap for advancing interconnected and digitally enabled border systems.

Such an outcome would provide a framework for translating policy discussions into operational improvements that can be implemented by participating Customs administrations and other border management institutions.

The Nigeria Customs Service said the two conferences underscore its determination to deepen cooperation with national institutions, regional partners and international stakeholders in pursuit of more secure borders and efficient trade administration.

Under CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Service has placed emphasis on modernisation, stronger institutional partnerships and the use of technology to improve Customs operations.

The planned conferences are expected to reinforce accountability for ongoing reforms while encouraging stakeholders to identify practical ways of linking border security with trade facilitation, technological innovation and safer communities.

The NCS also expects the outcomes to support the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area by encouraging more integrated, competitive and efficient African markets.

For Nigeria, the successful implementation of improved Customs systems and stronger cross-border cooperation could contribute to more efficient trade corridors, better protection against illicit trade and a more predictable operating environment for legitimate businesses.

At the continental level, greater coordination among Customs administrations could help address persistent barriers to intra-African commerce and support efforts to expand trade among African economies.

As preparations continue for the December meetings, the success of both conferences will ultimately depend on the ability of participating institutions to translate agreements and recommendations into measurable improvements in border operations.

The CGC Conference and C-PACT 2026 are therefore expected to serve not only as platforms for reviewing reforms and exchanging experiences, but also as opportunities to strengthen the practical cooperation needed to secure borders, facilitate legitimate trade and advance Africa’s economic integration agenda.