The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has called for accelerated and harmonised customs reforms across West and Central Africa to boost intra-African trade and build economic resilience. He made the call during the opening of the Fourth Conference of Development Partners of the World Customs Organization for West and Central Africa (WCO-WCA), held in Abuja on Wednesday.
Minister Edun underscored that intra-regional trade remains low—at just 12% of total trade—despite the region’s combined population of 450 million and an aggregate GDP nearing $1 trillion. While noting the Nigerian Customs Service’s strong performance—achieving a 90% year-on-year revenue increase and exceeding government targets by 20%—he emphasized that deeper structural reforms are essential to sustain and expand these gains.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to customs modernisation, highlighting the upcoming Single Window Project scheduled for implementation by early 2026. He also encouraged wider adoption of key World Customs Organization (WCO) tools, including the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) programme and the Advanced Ruling system, to streamline trade processes and reduce compliance burdens.
Minister Edun stressed the importance of effective donor coordination and sustained technical assistance, noting that many of Nigeria’s reform efforts are already backed by concessional financing from the World Bank, duly incorporated into the national budget and borrowing framework.
The two-day conference convenes customs authorities, development partners, and trade experts to align regional strategies for trade facilitation and deeper economic integration.