The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) have joined forces to actualise a paperless port system and ensure seamless cargo clearance.
The partnership was formalised on Friday, March 6, 2026, when the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Adewale Adeniyi, hosted the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Audu, at the Customs House in Maitama, Abuja.
The collaboration aims to dismantle long-standing bureaucratic bottlenecks by integrating cutting-edge technology into cargo clearance, effectively repositioning Nigeria as a competitive hub for global trade.
Speaking during the meeting, CGC Adeniyi reiterated the NCS’s commitment to a paperless port environment, explaining that the Service has institutionalised regular engagements with stakeholder groups, including the American Business Council and other trade associations, to address operational concerns and strengthen cooperation within the trade ecosystem.
“Such consultations allow the Service to identify operational bottlenecks and obtain direct feedback from businesses that interact with Customs at the nation’s ports,” he said.
Adeniyi revealed that the Service, working with the World Customs Organisation (WCO), recently conducted a Time Release Study (TRS), a scientific study of the costs and time required to conduct business at Nigerian ports, using Tin Can Island Port as a case study.
The study, he said, involved shipping companies, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority, Licensed Customs Agents and financial institutions. He added that the findings were compiled in a report publicly launched on January 26, 2026.
“We deliberately involved every segment of the port community in the exercise so that the findings would reflect the real operational environment. The report has already provided valuable insights that are guiding some of the reforms we are implementing,” Adeniyi stated.
He noted that while some concerns raised by stakeholders have already been addressed, others will continue to shape future reforms within the Service.
On 24-hour port operations, the Customs boss acknowledged that the success of such an initiative requires full participation across the logistics chain.
“We once deployed officers to support round-the-clock port operations, but the effort faced challenges because other critical operators such as banks, shipping companies and terminal operators were not fully integrated into the arrangement,” Adeniyi disclosed.
He also declared that the Service is advancing plans to establish a fully paperless Customs environment, affirming that most core processes, including pre-arrival documentation, cargo declaration, duty payment and release communication, have already been digitised.
“Where delays still occur, they are often linked to operators who continue to rely on physical documentation. That is an area we intend to address in the coming months.”
CGC Adeniyi further highlighted ongoing investments in scanning technology and ICT infrastructure to strengthen risk-based cargo management and reduce reliance on physical cargo examination.
He added that development partners such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation have continued to encourage Nigeria to expand the use of non-intrusive inspection technology in line with global best practices.
Earlier in her remarks, the PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Audu, mentioned that the Council is implementing a 90-day Business Environment Enhancement Programme to address operational challenges identified in its Business Facilitation Compliance Report, released in November 2025.
Audu explained that the programme seeks to improve efficiency across business-facing Ministries, Departments and Agencies by fostering closer collaboration to remove operational bottlenecks that affect the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
She disclosed that, as part of the initiative, PEBEC conducted a three-day operational assessment at Lagos ports in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority. During the exercise, officials observed cargo-handling processes from vessel arrival to cargo exit and consulted widely with regulators and private-sector stakeholders.
“The exercise enabled us to identify key operational challenges affecting port efficiency and to develop practical recommendations for improvement,” she said.
The DG highlighted the challenges, including the need to strengthen joint vessel boarding by regulatory agencies, to improve coordination of cargo inspections, and to enhance the use of technology in port operations.
On her part, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, DCG Oluyomi Adebakin, affirmed that vessel arrival schedules already provide sufficient information for operational planning at the ports.
DCG Adebakin pointed out that effective use of such information would enable the Service to deploy officers more strategically rather than keeping them at terminals while awaiting vessel arrivals.
“The concept of 24-hour port operations should focus on smarter deployment of personnel based on vessel schedules, not merely extending working hours,” she said.
She also expressed the Service’s readiness to address operational issues raised through the PEBEC reporting platform, noting that sustained collaboration between the two institutions remains essential for improving port efficiency and strengthening Nigeria’s business environment.
The Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Tariff and Trade also reiterated the effectiveness of the trade facilitation tools introduced by the Service to expedite the clearance of cargoes for trusted traders.
She highlighted initiatives such as the Authorised Economic Operator Program, the Advance Ruling System, and the One-Stop-Shop, introduced by the Service to actualise the Federal Government’s goal of improving trade efficiency in Nigeria.
