By Harriet Tornguvan
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to promote inclusive trade and support small scale cross border businesses through a strategic engagement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
The high-level meeting, held at the NCS Headquarters in Maitama, focused on advancing the implementation of the Simplified Trade Regime (STR), a framework designed to ease trade processes for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the continent.
Representing the Comptroller General of Customs, the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to facilitating seamless trade through simplified and transparent customs procedures.
She emphasized that the initiative is aimed at making trade more accessible and inclusive, particularly for small-scale traders, while maintaining compliance with national and regional regulations.
“Our goal is to make trade easier, more transparent, and inclusive for small-scale traders, while ensuring adherence to established trade rules,” she stated.
Leader of the AfCFTA delegation, Pedro Estevao, in his remarks, underscored the significance of Nigeria’s designation as the pilot country for the STR in West Africa. He noted that Nigeria’s large market size places it in a strategic position to drive regional trade integration and economic growth.
As part of the engagement, the NCS presented its draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the implementation of the STR. The proposal outlines simplified customs processes covering informal cross-border trade, passenger baggage handling, and low-value e-commerce transactions. It also incorporates digital declaration systems and risk-based control measures to enhance efficiency.
A consultant with the AfCFTA Secretariat, Nabil Zibani, also presented the proposed continental STR framework, highlighting the need for simplified, transparent, and accessible customs systems that will enable MSMEs to participate effectively in regional trade.
Deliberations at the meeting identified key areas of alignment between the NCS draft SOP and the AfCFTA framework. These include streamlined documentation, adoption of digital platforms for trade declaration and clearance, introduction of thresholds for low-value goods, and policies aimed at promoting inclusive trade, particularly for women and small businesses.
Both parties agreed to sustain technical engagements to fine-tune implementation strategies, address potential operational challenges, and ensure alignment between Nigeria’s national procedures and the broader continental framework.
The meeting is seen as a critical step toward positioning Nigeria at the forefront of the Simplified Trade Regime rollout under AfCFTA, while reinforcing the NCS’s role in facilitating legitimate trade, strengthening regional economic integration, and driving inclusive growth.
