CGC’s conference, C-PACT 2026 to hold in Abuja December 7-11
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will host two major conferences in Abuja in December to strengthen border security, facilitate legitimate trade and accelerate economic integration across Africa.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference will hold from December 7 to 8, while the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference is scheduled for December 9 to 11.
The conferences will bring together government officials, Customs administrators, security agencies, policymakers, development partners and private-sector stakeholders to explore practical strategies for improving border management, deploying digital technologies and removing barriers to cross-border trade.
The CGC Conference, themed “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” will focus on the Nigeria Customs Service’s modernisation drive, assess progress on previous commitments and examine the relationship between effective Customs administration, national security and trade facilitation.
The C-PACT 2026 Conference, with the theme “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,” will extend the discussions to the continental level, focusing on coordinated border management, digital connectivity and seamless movement of goods across African trade corridors.
According to the NCS, the CGC Conference will review commitments made in 2025 and assess reform outcomes recorded in 2026, while identifying areas requiring further improvements.
Discussions will centre on digital Customs operations, trusted trade corridors, seamless payments, intelligence-led enforcement and stronger partnerships among agencies responsible for border security.
The programme will also feature presentations on Customs modernisation, the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates and discussions on measuring the impact of reforms on trade facilitation and revenue generation.
A major component of the conference will be an assessment of how digital transformation and stakeholder collaboration can improve Customs operations, strengthen transparency and build confidence in the trading environment.
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 will focus on coordinated responses to emerging border threats, with participation by security and enforcement agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the NCS, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The discussions will examine intelligence sharing, inter-agency cooperation and the professional responsibilities of officers in tackling security threats, protecting communities and sustaining public trust.
Building on the national conference, C-PACT 2026 will address persistent obstacles to intra-African trade, including fragmented procedures, duplicated border controls, inadequate information exchange, incompatible digital systems and weak coordination among border agencies.
The conference 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 trading costs and improve the predictability of goods movement across the continent.
Its programme will feature high-level policy dialogue, technical sessions on connected borders, presentations on experiences from 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 African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiatives, including the AfCFTA Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
The organisers expect the conference to generate practical recommendations, identify priority investment and technology opportunities, strengthen institutional partnerships and produce 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, said the conferences underscored its commitment to collaborating with national institutions, regional partners and international stakeholders to secure borders, facilitate legitimate trade and advance Africa’s economic integration agenda.
The Service said the meetings would also strengthen accountability for ongoing reforms and promote practical solutions that align border security with trade facilitation and technological innovation.
The outcomes are expected to improve Customs operations, deepen regional cooperation and support the AfCFTA’s ambition of building a more integrated, competitive and prosperous African market.