Nigeria, Ghana Step Up Joint Fight Against Smuggling

By Oluwakemi Kindness

Nigeria and Ghana have agreed to strengthen their collaboration to stop illicit activities and improve cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, made this known during a visit to the Commissioner-General of Ghana’s Customs Division, Brigadier General Glover Annan, in Accra.

Both countries will review and update their 2001 Customs cooperation agreement to improve intelligence sharing, joint border operations, and harmonised clearance processes.

Adeniyi said criminals were exploiting weak links between Customs agencies in Africa.

“The more we share intelligence and coordinate enforcement, the stronger we will be against criminal networks,” he said.

Brig.-Gen. Annan welcomed the move, saying Nigeria and Ghana share a responsibility to secure borders and support lawful trade.

He also praised Nigeria’s leadership in the Customs-Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) initiative.

The C-PACT Conference will hold in Abuja from November 17–19, 2025, with a focus on boosting intra-African trade and transparency.

Adeniyi said the goal is to make Customs a driver of AfCFTA trade growth and ensure trade benefits everyday businesses across the continent.

The renewed cooperation is expected to support:

• Joint border patrols
• Shared intelligence systems
• Modernised trade processes
• Faster, safer movement of goods