Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s ongoing customs reform efforts have received international validation, as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, commended the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for its bold strides in modernising operations and aligning with global trade standards.
Speaking during the 145th/146th Sessions Opening of the Customs Co-operation Council at the World Customs Organisation, WCO, headquarters in Brussels, Okonjo-Iweala praised the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, stating that Nigeria is now setting the pace for customs excellence across Africa.
“The leadership of CGC Adeniyi has positioned Nigeria as a model for customs modernisation across the continent. These efforts are critical to strengthening global trade and ensuring that customs administrations contribute meaningfully to economic development,” Dr. Okonjo-Iweala.
The WTO boss highlighted Nigeria Customs’ recent achievements in automation, enhanced border procedures, and compliance reforms, describing them as fundamental to improving transparency and speeding up trade flows, two key pillars of WTO’s trade facilitation goals.
She further stressed the need to address complex customs technicalities such as rules of origin and valuation, warning that these issues remain “critical to effective trade facilitation” and require deeper multilateral cooperation.
In a side interaction with Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi welcomed the commendation and reaffirmed the Service’s resolve to sustain its reform momentum.
“We are honoured by the kind words of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a global icon and an advocate for inclusive trade. Her recognition of our efforts is not only humbling but also energising. It affirms that the reforms we have embarked upon, particularly in areas of automation, transparency, institutional capacity, and innovative leadership, are well aligned with global best practices.”
He reiterated that the NCS remains firmly committed to supporting intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, and is pushing for wider collaboration among Customs administrations across the continent.
“As we modernise our processes and embrace smarter solutions to enhance legitimate trade facilitation, we are also committed to rallying Customs administrations across Africa to fully support the objectives of AfCFTA,” he added.
Adeniyi also expressed strong support for the growing synergy between the WTO and WCO, following a landmark Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2025.
The agreement laid the foundation for deeper collaboration in areas such as customs valuation, trade facilitation, and rules of origin.
He said, “We commend WCO Secretary General, Mr. Ian Saunders, for his visionary leadership and for reinforcing synergies between our global institutions. Nigeria is fully aligned with the objectives of this partnership and remains committed to implementing reforms that support transparent, secure, and efficient trade flows.”
The NCS emphasised that the WTO-WCO collaboration offers significant benefits for developing countries like Nigeria, especially in unlocking policy tools, institutional capacity building, and procedural support required to boost competitiveness in the global trade ecosystem.
