*Grenada, Saint Kitts PMs, Edun, Oduwole, Zamfara gov, others hail impact of Dangote industries’ investments in continent

James Emejo in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos

The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, yesterday said the country is currently working with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Afreximbank, and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Secretariat to convene a roundtable of African heads of customs administrations in Abuja.
As he declared that the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027 in Lagos will unleash opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s economic competitiveness, prominent leaders including the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell; Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew; Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; and the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, among other personalities yesterday commended the socio-economic impact of Dangote Industries Limited’s investment across Africa.
Also the Dangote Group exhibition stand at the 2025 IATF holding in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, was one of the most visited at the continent’s leading trade and investment forum as majority of inquiries centred on polypropylene (PP), a key product of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Speaking on Arise Television, Adeniyi said the aim of the meeting was to chart practical solutions, align continental initiatives, and leverage WCO tools and instruments to create seamless trade facilitation across the continent.
He also said the continent must harness the power of its youth, stating that the demographic dividend remained a secret weapon.
The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) said Africa’s young, increasingly skilled population brings fresh perspectives and digital-native approaches to export markets.
He called for deliberate efforts to build export strategies around youth engagement and to create pathways for young entrepreneurs to access global markets with unprecedented ease.
He also said Africa must unleash the export potential of women, noting that evidence had shown that women exporters often outperform once barriers are removed.
He said, “Creating dedicated pathways and support systems to harness this proven competitive advantage is essential for Africa.”
He pointed out that customs administrations across the continent understood these strategies, noting that many are already implementing relevant initiatives.
However, he said, “progress is often undermined by fragmentation, which limits our collective impact and slows progress toward positioning African exports globally.”
The CGC also said the Nigeria Customs Service is currently taking deliberate steps to reduce the cost of doing business at the nation’s ports by simplifying processes and facilitating trade to boost exports and economic competitiveness.

He stressed that Nigeria must address the challenges confronting exporters, particularly small exporters, to unlock the country’s trade potential.

Adeniyi said, “It’s important from the statistics that we’ve put out there and shared by virtually every stakeholder in Nigeria, our percentage, our volume of people in Africa is still low and exports from all of these African countries will drive big volumes.

“So, it is very obvious that we are not doing well enough and a number of challenges have been identified. Part of them is the processes at our ports,” he said.

“Some of these processes could be very long and we all need to come up with simplified processes that can help us turn up the volume of our export, that can help us to conduct businesses in the port in a faster way.

“So, we’re already on the road to doing that in Nigeria. We have a dedicated terminal now for exports and our statistics in the last two years have shown that we are right on the right trajectory towards ramping up the volume of our exports in Nigeria.”

On Nigeria’s role in the AfCFTA, Adeniyi said coordination among stakeholders was key to maximising opportunities.

“The first is to promote a shared understanding amongst all the stakeholders involved that we now need to move in a coordinated manner. So, for so long we’ve been having progresses in silos.

“There has been progress in the payment system. We heard that Afrexim Bank has initiated the PAPS program, the initiative. AfCFTA Secretariat is also making a lot of progress in what they are doing, capacity building and things like that.

“The WCO is encouraging customs administrations to embrace tools of trade facilitations.”

He said, “It’s now time for us to bring all of this under one roof and let those initiatives and reforms, let them speak to each other. I went to Biasra Africa to let them know that it’s not enough for us to be having progress in each of those places and they are not having handshake with each other.

“The first major step is that Afreximbank, the Secretariat of the Free Trade, they have all accepted that customs should also move with them.”

“We need to move together. We need to make progress together and this explains why we are convening that conference in Abuja to bring all of our regulatory authorities, all of our facilitators, but most importantly the economic operators.

“We also need them to come and tell us where their shoe is pinching so that all of us together will be able to get coordinated solutions to those problems.”

The Customs chief said his administration has been intentional in pursuing reforms that support exporters, importers, and ease of doing business.

He said, “Well, I have been very, very intentional in pursuing policies that speak to trade facilitation because I know that when we get it right in trade facilitation it will help us to, you know, increase turnover, it will help us to increase volume and then it will translate into revenue.

“You know I’m on extra time, you know, kind of injury time as Comptroller-General of Customs. Just recently my service was extended and there were some key performance indicators that were given to me.

“Ease of doing business is there to, you know, facilitate the implementation of the African continental free trade. National single window is there which we want to launch in the first quarter of next year.

“So, what we’ve been doing in the last two years are stepping stones, are platforms for us to be able to achieve this.

“We already have an AEO programme, we piloted it last year and now we have several companies in Nigeria that are enjoying the benefits of expedited clearance in our ports, reduced documentation and all of that.

“We’ve been playing a very, very active role in the implementation of national single window. Our officers are there working with the secretariat of national single window to get us up and running.”

Continuing, he said, “I have a lot of, we have networking and, you know, cooperation and support from the secretariat of the African continental free trade and to demonstrate that there are some customs administrations that we’ve been working with directly to ensure that there is harmonisation of our policies and interoperability of our systems.

“We’ve really advanced, we’ve gotten to an advanced stage on how we can launch a system that allows our systems to speak to each other.

“This is what we intend to replicate with other customs administrations so that we can benefit more from the dividends of trade facilitations.”

Reacting to Nigeria’s hosting of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027 in Lagos, Adeniyi said customs would play a major role but emphasised the need for a whole-of-society approach.

He said, “We are all, we were all very excited. I spoke with the minister of trade yesterday who received the IATF banner on behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria. And from what we have seen here in August and the previous editions, it’s a very big spectacle.”

“And it’s not just about customs, it’s a whole lot of society approach that it requires. Right from the airport, the kind of reception, how we receive our visitors, how we make them feel comfortable, the logistic, the very huge logistics of organising an event as magnificent as this.

“You and I have been all over all the last 48 hours. We’ve seen big centres, big venues, you know, and there seems to be high level of coordination. So it goes beyond customs. Customs will do our part.”

He said, “We have a regime of temporary admission that allows exhibitors, those participating trade fairs to bring in their goods on a temporary basis.

“We have convention that covers it. And what we just do for IATF will be to simplify those procedures so that those who are coming for the trade fair will not have any hassles either at the airports or at the seaport.

“But like I said, you know, it requires, you know, the cooperation and the coordination of everybody. Immigration will be involved. Of course, security will be involved.

“Transportation will be involved. Our big hotels will have to, you know, help their game so that they can benefit, take maximum benefits from this.

“Lagos State government, this event is going to host in Lagos. So, you know, so it’s really, really very huge. And what a big opportunity for Nigeria to announce its presence as, you know, somebody that promotes a competitive economy.”

On the outlook for intra-African trade, Adeniyi said Nigeria must focus on harnessing its domestic and regional markets.

He said, “It was actually brought out in the fireside chat between the SG and Geoffrey in the first session. And that’s the fact that at the end of the day, the posture of President Trump may actually position him as a friend of Africa. And that is trying to encourage us to look inward and think about our economy first, before we think of market access elsewhere.”

“There is enough for us to do in Africa. You know, there is enough market for us to trade within ourselves. I mean, we’re talking of population that is very, very huge.”

“So, President Bola Tinubu has rightly identified this. And one of his strong pillars, his policy, is to make trade a major focus for economic development. So, making Nigerian economy more competitive, you will see a number of initiatives. National Single Window, I talked about that, is one of them. Decongestion port is one of them. It’s also supporting initiatives that customs is doing to modernise, to bring in authorised economic operator programmes, trade facilitation programmes, and things like that.

“For now, we have shown that when we take these giant steps around the trade facilitation ecosystem, the result at the end of the day, even if we don’t say we are pursuing it, is revenue.

“Half-year revenue in 2025 for customs and other revenue agencies has shown that we’re on the right track and given all indicators, we’re likely going to surpass our targets in 2025. So, we are still going to be very high, you know, very bold and intentional in the areas of trade facilitation.

“We are going to be speaking more to our stakeholders, our exporters, our importers, address issues that concern them so that, you know, we will be able to make our economy more competitive.”

Adeniyi, also said the country remained fully prepared to host the 2027 Intra African Trade Fair in Lagos, adding that the event presented a huge opportunity to showcase the country’s economic competitiveness.

According to him, “We are all very excited. I spoke with the minister of trade on Thursday who received the IATF banner on behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria.

“And from what we have seen here in August and the previous editions, it’s a very big spectacle.

“And it’s not just about customs, it’s a whole lot of society approach that it requires. Right from the airport, the kind of reception, how we receive our visitors, how we make them feel comfortable, the logistics, the very huge logistics of organising an event as magnificent as this.

“You and I have been all over all the last 48 hours. We’ve seen big centres, big venues, you know, and there seems to be high level of coordination. So it goes beyond customs. Customs will do our part.

“We have a regime of temporary admission that allows exhibitors, those participating trade fairs to bring in their goods on a temporary basis.

“We have convention that covers it. And what we just do for IATF will be to simplify those procedures so that those who are coming for the trade fair will not have any hassles either at the airports or at the seaport.

“But like I said, you know, it requires, you know, the cooperation and the coordination of everybody. Immigration will be involved. Of course, security will be involved. Transportation will be involved.

“Our big hotels will have to, you know, help their game so that they can benefit, take maximum benefits from this. Lagos state government, this event is going to host in Lagos.

“So, you know, it’s really very huge. And what a big opportunity for Nigeria to announce its presence as, you know, somebody that promotes a competitive economy.”

Meanwhile, Dangote Group stated this in a statement issued last night.

The Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Ministers, Nigeria’s two ministers and the Zamfara State governor, who led separate delegations to the Dangote stand yesterday commended the far-reaching impact of the Dangote Group in its various investments in Nigeria and Africa, which have boosted economic development across the continent.

The dignitaries were received by the Special Adviser to the President of Dangote Group, Mansur Ahmed and the Group Head, Commercial Foods, Dangote Industries Limited, Garba EL-Suleiman, and other key executives of Dangote Industries.

As a Premier Partner of the fourth edition of IATF2025, Dangote Group is showcasing its diverse operations spanning cement, fertilisers, petrochemicals, refined petroleum products, sugar, salt, and logistics.

The company operates over 18 subsidiaries across sectors vital to Africa’s industrial and economic transformation.

According to the statement, the Dangote Special Day is scheduled to take place today during the fair.

Organised by Afreximbank, in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat, and hosted by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the biennial IATF seeks to boost intra-African trade and promote investment opportunities throughout the continent.

This year’s edition features participation of production and service companies, alongside an investment and trade forum highlighting Africa’s potential for economic integration.

During the week-long fair, more than 2,000 exhibitors, including businesses from the African continent and globally, are showcasing their goods and services to visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging trade and market information, which is projected to translate into over $44 billion in trade and investment deals.

According to the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Anthony Chiejina, “Our partnership with IATF is built on a shared vision of commitment to advancing Africa’s economic growth. Having experienced the tangible impact of IATF2023, we are proud to build on that momentum as a Premier Partner for IATF2025. This platform continues to drive meaningful connections and opportunities across the continent, and we look forward to contributing to its success once again in Algiers.”

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