Abuja, Nigeria - November 17, 2025 President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria's resolve to work towards building an Africa where borders are efficient enough to facilitate trade and other economic opportunities instead of hindering them. Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, said this at the Customs Pact – Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. “Nigeria remains firmly committed, structurally and operationally, to building an Africa that trades by design, where integration is practical, measurable and effective. “Our ambition is simple: a continent where borders facilitate opportunities rather than inhibit them. “Fragmented markets cannot achieve industrial scale, negotiate effectively with global powers, or withstand external shocks,” he said. Tinubu noted, however, that integration “enables large-scale industrialisation, collective bargaining strength and resilient supply chains. “Nigeria is approaching this responsibility with practical systems and infrastructure rather than rhetoric,” he added. The President said the strength of a continental market could only be engineered and not declared. He stated that while Africa had already taken the hardest step by agreeing on integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), what is crucial at the moment is execution. “Success will be judged not by communiqués but by real outcomes: shorter border-crossing times, reliable local-currency settlements and efficient movement of goods across borders and ports. “Our vision must translate from conference halls to the daily experiences of traders, manufacturers, logistics operators and farmers,” he maintained. He said the urge to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians informed his administration’s decision to reform structural barriers to trade and investment. “We adopted the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System to boost intra-African trade, and we prioritised non-oil export growth across key sectors. “These reforms reinforce one another, creating a coherent foundation for stronger continental commerce and competitiveness. Each decision was a step towards a Nigeria that trades with confidence and an Africa that negotiates from a position of strength. “We believe that our institutions have been deliberately aligned into a unified trade-enablement architecture, dismantling the traditional silos that once separated agencies. “The Nigeria Customs Service now advances digital clearance systems and risk-based inspections. “The Nigerian Ports Authority drives port efficiency. The Central Bank enables local-currency settlements through PAPSS. “The Standards Organisation harmonises product standards with continental frameworks. NEPC and NEXIM Bank strengthen export readiness and provide targeted financing. “This coordinated, integrated institutional approach is essential for successful continental integration, for no single agency can deliver the scale of reform required for Africa’s prosperity.” “Intra-African trade is projected to expand from fifteen per cent in 2023 to twenty-five per cent by 2030 under AfCFTA frameworks. “Nigeria's non-oil exports to African markets increased thirty-eight per cent year-on-year in 2024. Cargo clearance time at major seaports has reduced by approximately thirty per cent since 2023. “Paper-based compliance processes are being systematically replaced through digital trade reforms and automation. “These metrics validate a fundamental principle: when structural barriers fall and systems function predictably, African trade expands rapidly and dynamically. Outcomes are never in doubt when processes are disciplined.” President Tinubu described the National Single Window as central to Nigeria’s continental trade strategy. He assured that phase one of the transformative digital platform will go live in March 2026, “with full rollout by December 2026. “It will allow businesses to submit import and export information once through a unified portal, automate inter-agency data sharing “and real-time processing, apply risk-based compliance to speed up clearance for legitimate traders, and cut cargo clearance time from twenty-one days to under seven. “This will significantly boost port productivity. Fully aligned with AfCFTA digital frameworks, the National Single Window positions Nigeria as a continental standard-bearer for customs digitalisation and seamless intra-African commerce.” The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, urged relevant authorities in Africa to continue dismantling barriers that hinder trade and revenue generation. Edun, represented by the Minister of State, Uzoka-Anite Doris Uzoka-Anite, assured that the Federal Government remains committed to supporting modernisation initiatives within customs administrations. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said that under President Tinubu’s decisive leadership, the administration has strengthened fiscal discipline “and is on course to accelerate regional economic integration under the Renewed Hope Agenda.” The Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Ian Saunders, applauded ongoing reforms by the Tinubu administration, assuring that the WCO stands with Nigeria in facilitating legitimate trade. He also praised heads of Africa’s Customs for incorporating modern standards into their operations, adding that leadership, investment and consolidating gains in customs administration remain valuable. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, urged relevant authorities and stakeholders to adopt cross-country trade facilitation and integration. He emphasised that “we cannot continue to work in silos.” Adeniyi said the primary outcome of the engagement in Abuja, which involved all African regions, is to ensure that customs administrations are more actively engaged in AfCFTA implementation. He added that it would strengthen dialogue and mutual understanding between customs administrations and the private sector across the continent.