By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the American Business Council (ABC) have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening trade relations and addressing challenges affecting business operations through sustained engagement between the public and private sectors.
A statement on Wednesday by Customs spokesperson, Abdulahi Maiwada says the resolution was reached during the quarterly Customs–ABC meeting held on Monday at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, where both parties discussed measures to improve trade facilitation, strengthen security, and enhance economic cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
Speaking at the meeting, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, underscored the importance of continuous stakeholder engagement, announcing plans to make the consultations a permanent feature of the Service’s operational calendar.
According to him, regular dialogue with the business community remains critical to identifying challenges, improving customs processes, and fostering a more conducive trading environment.
“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,” Adeniyi stated.
The Customs boss also updated stakeholders on several ongoing trade facilitation initiatives, including the Advance Ruling system, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, Post Clearance Audit processes, the B’Odogwu platform, and efforts to improve scanning integration and cargo clearance procedures.
He noted that the reforms are aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, reducing delays at ports, and promoting seamless trade transactions.
Members of the American Business Council welcomed the initiatives and commended the Nigeria Customs Service for its reform-driven approach. However, they urged the Service to establish faster mechanisms for resolving operational challenges affecting businesses.
President of the American Business Council, Nneka Enwereji, described the engagement as productive and applauded the Customs leadership for its commitment to improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
“This session has been phenomenal and demonstrates your commitment to improving ease of doing business. You have raised the bar, and there is a lot that can be learned from this,” Enwereji said.
The meeting forms part of ongoing efforts by the Nigeria Customs Service to strengthen collaboration with key stakeholders, improve trade efficiency, and support economic growth through a more business-friendly customs administration system.
