AfCFTA: Customs facilitates first shipment to Kenya

The Nigeria Customs Service said it has facilitated Nigeria’s first shipment to Kenya, with Lucky Fibres, a subsidiary of the Tolaram Group.

The service added that with the shipment, the company has become one of the first companies to ship goods to Kenya under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Speaking during a recent visit in Apapa to ensure proper documentation and verification of the shipment, a Senior Trade Expert and Lead of Trade Enablement at the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Olusegun Olutayo, noted that the shipment from Nigeria to Kenya, specifically to the port of Mombasa, 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.

He emphasised the critical role of the service as the Designated Competent Authority under AfCFTA, leveraging its expertise to ensure seamless trade.

According to him, the NCS has been fantastic adding that the service has shown readiness 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,” Olutayo explained.

Earlier, an Assistant Comptroller of Customs who is the releasing officer for Lilypond Export Command at Apapa Area Command, Olusola Salako, highlighted the NCS’s efforts to leverage technology to ensure that AfCFTA is successful in Africa.

Salako added that 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,”

He stated that with trade becoming more global, the office had gone back to the drawing board and improved its technology, which would help facilitate trade.

“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,” Salako concluded.