The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Customs Administration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands have signed a Joint Declaration aimed at strengthening their partnership and enhancing trade facilitation and border security between both Customs authorities.
The declaration was signed on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Brussels by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Director-General of Netherlands Customs, Mrs. Nanette Van Schelven, following a series of high-level engagements between both administrations aimed at strengthening customs modernisation, intelligence sharing, compliance management, and enforcement cooperation.
According to a statement issued by the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, the development builds on the Service’s bilateral working visit to the Netherlands in October 2025 and the subsequent visit of the Netherlands Customs delegation to Nigeria in March 2026.
During the initial engagements, the two administrations explored opportunities for cooperation in risk management, cargo clearance systems, trade facilitation, border control, supply chain security, capacity development, and the fight against illicit trade.
In the Joint Declaration, both parties acknowledged Nigeria’s strategic position as one of West Africa’s leading economies and an important trading partner of the Netherlands. They also recognised that customs cooperation and institutional capacity-building are critical to facilitating legitimate trade while combating illegal cross-border activities.
The declaration highlighted growing concerns over trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, counterfeit goods, wildlife products, and weapons, noting that these threats require coordinated international responses.
While signing the declaration, CGC Adeniyi asserted that the Netherlands Customs has demonstrated the immense value of international cooperation in addressing emerging trade and border management challenges.
He explained that the partnership would strengthen intelligence sharing, enhance capacity building, improve enforcement effectiveness, and support collective efforts to secure international supply chains while facilitating legitimate trade.
The CGC further described the declaration as a significant milestone in the Service’s international cooperation agenda and a reflection of the strong relationship established between the two Customs administrations over the years.
On her part, the Director-General of Netherlands Customs, Mrs. Nanette Van Schelven, acknowledged that both administrations face similar challenges in an increasingly interconnected global trading environment.
Mrs. Van Schelven noted that closer collaboration would promote mutual learning, strengthen operational capabilities, and improve efforts to tackle transnational organised crime while supporting efficient and transparent trade processes.
The declaration commits both parties to deepening collaboration through the exchange of expertise, training, knowledge-sharing, and the development of structured cooperation frameworks.
It also provides a foundation for developing a joint work plan and future cooperation mechanisms to enhance border efficiency, promote fair trade practices, strengthen supply chain security, and address the challenges associated with both legal and illegal cross-border movements of goods.
