The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) , CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has reaffirmed the Service’s unwavering commitment to leading customs modernization efforts across West and Central Africa, declared that Nigeria is ready to drive sustainable reforms in the region.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th World Customs Organization (WCO) Donors Conference for the West and Central Africa (WCA) Region held at the Muhammadu Buhari Conference Hall of the National Intelligence Agency in Abuja, the CGC emphasized the need for practical, scalable, and technical solutions to strengthen customs administration.
“We’re committed to driving regional customs reform. The challenges may be substantial, but with the right partnerships and technical support, they are not insurmountable,” the CGC said.
The theme of the conference, “Partner mobilization around the priority projects of the WCO’s WCA region,” he noted, aligned with Nigeria’s strategic approach to transforming customs through innovation, collaboration, and capacity-building.
He highlighted major milestones achieved by the NCS, including the deployment of the home-grown B’Odogwu platform for digital processing, installation of advanced scanners at ports, integration with other trade agencies, and training of over 5,000 officers in key technical areas like valuation, classification, and post-clearance audit.
“These reforms have translated into real impact – reduced clearance times, improved compliance, and a 90% increase in revenue collection, surpassing our targets by 20%,” he stated.
The CGC also unveiled five regional priority initiatives for donor support:
A regional interconnectivity project beginning with the Nigeria-Benin corridor,
A competency-based human resource management framework,
AI-powered tools for illicit trade detection,
Implementation support for AfCFTA rules of origin, and
Regional single window integration.
He therefore assured development partners of NCS’s readiness to serve as a regional training and technical support hub, leveraging its WCO-recognized facility in Abuja.
“With coordinated oversight of all donor-funded projects, Nigeria Customs ensures measurable outcomes through regular evaluations and reporting,” he added.
The CGC concluded by expressing appreciation to the WCO leadership and development partners, calling on all stakeholders to align efforts and resources towards shared modernization goals.
The conference, which followed a two-day technical expert meeting, continues with strategic sessions aimed at mobilizing support and enhancing performance across customs administrations in the West and Central Africa region.
