Nigeria Customs, PEBEC Align to Revolutionise Port Digitalisation

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has reiterated the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to a paperless port environment, pledging to deepen digital reforms following a high-level strategic meeting with the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Audu. 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.

CGC Adeniyi stated this on Friday, 6 March 2026, while receiving the Director-General of PEBEC at Customs House in Maitama, Abuja.

During the meeting, Adeniyi explained 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.

According to him, “Such consultations allow the Service to identify operational bottlenecks and obtain direct feedback from businesses that interact with Customs at the nation’s ports.”

The CGC also disclosed 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. Its findings were compiled in a report publicly launched on 26 January, 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 said.

He noted that while some concerns raised by stakeholders have already been addressed, others will continue to shape future reforms within the Service.

Regarding 24-hour port operations, Adeniyi said 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 said.

He added that the Service is advancing plans to establish a fully paperless Customs environment. 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,” he said.

The CGC Adeniyi also highlighted ongoing investments in scanning technology and ICT infrastructure to strengthen risk-based cargo management and reduce reliance on physical cargo examination.

According to him, 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, said 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.

As part of the initiative, she said 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.

Among the issues highlighted were the need to strengthen joint vessel boarding by regulatory agencies, improve coordination of cargo inspections, and enhance the use of technology in port operations.

Also speaking, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, said vessel arrival schedules already provide sufficient information for operational planning at the ports.

According to her, effective use of such information would enable the Service to deploy officers more strategically rather than maintaining personnel 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,” Adebakin 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 mentioned the Authorised Economic Program, Advance Ruling Systems and One-Stop-Shop among the initiatives introduced by the service to actualise the Federal Government’s goal of trade efficiency in Nigeria.

Source : NCS