By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has successfully facilitated the country’s inaugural shipment to Kenya under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).
Lucky Fibres, a subsidiary of the Tolaram Group, has become one of the pioneering companies to export goods to Kenya through this landmark agreement.
According to Olusegun Olutayo, Senior Trade Expert and Lead of Trade Enablement at the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, this shipment demonstrates the collaborative spirit of AfCFTA.
“It is not that we are doing it alone; I have already sent a message to the Secretariat in Ghana that there will be a shipment under AfCFTA to Kenya. I have also communicated with the AfCFTA implementation committee in Kenya. So this is the spirit we are building to ensure that we increase intra-African trade,” Olutayo noted.
The NCS has played a critical role in facilitating this trade, leveraging its expertise as the Designated Competent Authority (DCA) under AfCFTA.
Olutayo praised the service, as he was quoted as saying, “The Nigeria Customs Service has been fantastic; they are ready to facilitate trade. Once they hear that there is an issue, particularly around AfCFTA, you will see everybody ready to support and facilitate it, which is the essence of true trade facilitation.”
Assistant Comptroller Olusola Salako highlighted the NCS’s efforts to harness technology for seamless trade.
“The service has aligned with the mandates of the World Customs Organisation to prioritise the importance of trade. Gone are the days when we experienced issues. Today, we have a Unified Customs Management System (UCMS). With trade becoming more global, we went back to the drawing board and improved our technology, which will help us facilitate trade.”
Salako concluded that the NCS is well-prepared to handle AfCFTA-related exports, with trained officers, dedicated ports, and streamlined procedures in place. “The service is already in top gear; officers have been trained, and we have dedicated officers, senior officers, and releasing officers for this particular export procedure—not limited to AfCFTA alone—and we also have dedicated ports,” he said.