The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) have agreed to strengthen collaboration in a bid to boost trade facilitation, enhance revenue generation, and improve border management.
This followed a recent visit by the newly-elected National President of NACCIMA, Mr. Jani Ibrahim, and his management team to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, at the Service’s headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Speaking during the meeting, the Customs Comptroller-General reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to working more closely with the private sector to sustain ongoing reforms. He said collaboration remained central to his administration’s approach in balancing the Service’s core functions of revenue collection, security, and trade facilitation.
“When I assumed office, one of the first things I was deliberate about was the issue of collaboration. Revenue and security are important, but to succeed in both, we must also strengthen trade facilitation,” Adeniyi said.
He disclosed that Customs would create dedicated desks to handle issues affecting NACCIMA members in order to ease challenges encountered in the implementation of customs processes.
In his remarks, NACCIMA President, Jani Ibrahim, congratulated Adeniyi on his election as Chairperson of the World Customs Organisation Council, describing it as a recognition of Nigeria’s leadership in global customs administration. He also lauded President Bola Tinubu for extending the Customs boss’s tenure, noting that it reflected confidence in the ongoing reforms.
Ibrahim commended the Service for introducing initiatives such as the Authorised Economic Operator programme, deployment of the indigenous digital platform known as B’odogwu, the Time Release Studies, and improvements to the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report system. According to him, these measures have already reduced bureaucratic delays, cut cargo dwell time, and strengthened Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.
He further proposed the establishment of a Joint Technical Facilitation Committee comprising representatives of both NACCIMA and Customs to provide a structured framework for regular consultation and measurable progress.
The NACCIMA president maintained that such cooperation would lower the cost of doing business and better position Nigeria to harness the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
