In a historic move to enhance border security and build regional expertise, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has launched the first-ever Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) Expert Master Trainer Programme in West Africa.
The week-long capacity-building initiative kicked off on Monday, June 2, 2025, in Abuja, bringing together participants from Customs administrations across the region. The training aims to equip officers with critical skills in geospatial mapping, analysis, and surveillance to improve monitoring and control of cross-border activities.
Declaring the programme open, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the initiative as a major step in modernizing border management and combating transnational crimes such as smuggling, trafficking, and illegal trade.
“What we are witnessing today is the fruition of nearly a decade of sustained collaboration, innovation, and capacity building,. “This initiative positions Nigeria as a regional leader in the deployment of cutting-edge geospatial tools to strengthen border security and promote legitimate trade.”the CGC stated
He further emphasized the need for Customs services to evolve in response to increasingly complex global trade networks and the growing ingenuity of criminal syndicates.
“As transnational trade expands exponentially, so too does the sophistication of threats. Our response must be equally sophisticated, data-driven, and technologically advanced,” Adeniyi said.
Speaking at the event, Motohiro Fujimitsu, representative of the WCO, hailed the programme as a transformative approach to managing fragile and porous borders across West Africa.
Yuzurio Susumu, JICA’s Chief Representative in Nigeria, reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting Nigeria and the region in developing resilient and intelligent border control systems through strategic investments in geospatial technology.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Dera Nnadi, of the Strategic Research and Policy Department, who urged participants to apply their new knowledge in safeguarding national and regional borders.
The training marks a new era in customs modernization and inter-agency cooperation, reflecting Nigeria’s growing influence in regional security and trade facilitation.
