The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the American Business Council (ABC) have strengthened their partnership to enhance trade facilitation and foster stronger economic ties between Nigeria and the United States.
The collaboration was reinforced during a quarterly meeting held at the Service Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
The engagement focused on improving trade facilitation, enhancing security, and promoting stronger economic relations between the two countries.
Speaking during the meeting, the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Adewale Adeniyi, stressed the importance of regular consultations with stakeholders, noting that the engagement would be institutionalised as a permanent feature of the Service’s calendar.
“It is our intention that we will institutionalise this as a permanent feature of the Customs calendar because of the importance we attach to this kind of engagement,” CGC Adeniyi said.
He also briefed participants on developments in key trade facilitation initiatives, including the Advance Ruling System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, Post Clearance Audit, the B’Odogwu platform, and ongoing improvements in scanning integration and cargo clearance procedures aimed at enhancing operational efficiency.
Members of the American Business Council welcomed the reforms and commended the Service’s efforts, while also calling for faster mechanisms to address outstanding challenges affecting businesses.
The President of the Council, Nneka Enwereji, described the meeting as productive and praised the Customs leadership for its commitment to improving the ease of doing business in the country.
“This session has been phenomenal and demonstrates your commitment to improving the ease of doing business. You have raised the bar, and there is a lot that can be learned from this,” Enwereji stated.
