ABUJA, Nigeria (XOL Africa) — Nigeria and the United Kingdom are moving closer to a bilateral customs agreement aimed at strengthening information sharing, improving compliance and facilitating legitimate trade between the two countries.
The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, HMRC, held high-level negotiations in Abuja to resolve outstanding issues surrounding a proposed Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement, CMAA.
The agreement is expected to provide a framework for greater cooperation and exchange of customs information between the two administrations.
The negotiations had been conducted virtually for about six months before officials met physically at the NCS headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, to work toward completing the agreement.
Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Nafi’u Isyaku, who represented Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, said the meeting was intended to bring the negotiations to a conclusion.
“The meeting is to finalise our Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement, CMAA. We have been doing it virtually for some six months now,” Isyaku said.
He said the agreement was expected to be signed in the first week of December during the World Customs Organisation Policy Commission meeting, subject to the completion of the remaining procedures.
Syed Moinuddin, a senior policy adviser at HMRC, said the negotiations would allow both administrations to establish a framework reflecting their respective interests while strengthening cooperation within the international customs community.
Louisa Bentley, HMRC’s head of bilateral relations and agreements, said substantial progress had been made and that the two sides were close to concluding the agreement.
“The agreement would boost trade by improving compliance and information sharing between HMRC and the NCS, while also enhancing compliance and trade facilitation to both partners in global trade opportunities,” Bentley said.
Technology and customs reforms
The proposed CMAA would enable Nigeria and the UK to exchange relevant customs information more effectively, helping authorities identify compliance issues while making it easier to facilitate legitimate cross-border trade.
The HMRC delegation also reviewed technology and operational reforms being implemented by the NCS during a tour of facilities at the customs headquarters.
The delegation visited the Trade Modernisation Project Limited office, the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report office and the Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network station.
Bentley said the visit demonstrated progress in technology deployment and personnel development within the Nigerian Customs Service.
“We have seen significant developments in technology and personnel training,” she said, adding that the reforms would support more modern and efficient trade processes.
The bilateral engagement, held from Sept. 25-26, concluded with visits to key departments and operational units at the NCS headquarters.
The proposed agreement is the latest step in efforts by Nigeria and the UK to deepen customs cooperation, particularly in information exchange, regulatory compliance and the facilitation of legitimate international trade.
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