By Harriet Tornguvan
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.
The commitment was reached during a quarterly consultative meeting held at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja on Monday, where discussions focused on enhancing trade facilitation, improving security, and strengthening economic cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
Speaking at the meeting, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, underscored the importance of regular consultations with stakeholders, describing the engagement as a critical platform for resolving trade-related issues and improving operational efficiency.
According to him, the Customs Service plans to institutionalise the quarterly consultations as a permanent feature of its operational calendar in recognition of the value of stakeholder engagement.
“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 said.
The Customs boss also updated participants on ongoing reforms and trade facilitation initiatives being implemented by the Service. These include the Advance Ruling System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, Post Clearance Audit procedures, the B’Odogwu digital platform, and improvements in scanning integration and cargo clearance processes.
He noted that the initiatives are designed to streamline trade processes, enhance transparency, and boost efficiency at Nigeria’s ports and border stations.
Members of the American Business Council commended the reforms and expressed optimism about their potential to improve the business environment. However, they also urged the Customs Service to establish faster mechanisms for addressing lingering operational challenges affecting businesses.
President of the American Business Council, Nneka Enwereji, described the meeting as highly productive and praised 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 is part of ongoing efforts by both organisations to foster closer collaboration, promote trade efficiency, and strengthen commercial ties between Nigeria and the United States.
