Customs, PEBEC push paperless port reforms

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), have aligned efforts to accelerate digital reforms aimed at eliminating paperwork and reducing cargo clearance delays across the nation’s seaports.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the Service is advancing toward a fully paperless Customs environment, following insights generated from a Time Release Study (TRS) conducted with support from the World Customs Organisation (WCO), which examined the cost and time of cargo clearance using Tin Can Island Port as a case study.

Adeniyi spoke in Abuja while receiving the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Audu, during a high-level strategic engagement focused on improving port efficiency and strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.

According to the CGC, the findings of the TRS, publicly launched on January 26, 2026, have already begun shaping new operational reforms aimed at addressing delays within the cargo clearance process.

“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.

The study brought together key stakeholders in the maritime value chain, including shipping companies, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority, licensed Customs agents and financial institutions, to examine the operational realities affecting cargo movement at the ports.

Adeniyi explained that the Service has institutionalised structured consultations with trade groups such as the American Business Council and other business associations to obtain real-time feedback from operators interacting with Customs.

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

The CGC noted that although Customs had previously deployed officers to support round-the-clock port operations, the initiative faced operational setbacks due to the absence of full participation from other stakeholders within 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 emphasised that the success of 24-hour port operations would depend on full integration of all participants in the port ecosystem.

Adeniyi further disclosed that the Service has already digitised most core Customs processes, including pre-arrival documentation, cargo declaration, duty payment and release communication, as part of efforts to eliminate manual procedures.

“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.

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To strengthen risk-based cargo management, the Service, he said, is also expanding investments in scanning technology and ICT infrastructure, reducing reliance on physical cargo examinations.

According to Adeniyi, international development partners including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation have consistently encouraged Nigeria to scale up the use of non-intrusive inspection technology in line with global best practices.

Earlier, PEBEC Director-General Zahrah Audu said the Council is implementing a 90-day Business Environment Enhancement Programme aimed at addressing operational challenges identified in its Business Facilitation Compliance Report released in November 2025.

She explained that the initiative focuses on improving operational efficiency across business-facing Ministries, Departments and Agencies through stronger collaboration.

As part of the programme, PEBEC recently conducted a three-day operational assessment at Lagos ports in partnership with the Nigerian Ports Authority, observing cargo handling procedures from vessel arrival to cargo exit while consulting 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,” Audu said.

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

Also speaking, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, noted that vessel arrival schedules already provide sufficient data to guide operational planning at the ports.

According to her, more efficient use of such information would enable Customs to deploy personnel strategically rather than maintaining officers 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 reaffirmed the Service’s readiness to address operational concerns raised through the PEBEC reporting platform, stressing that sustained collaboration between Customs and the Council is essential for improving port efficiency and strengthening Nigeria’s business environment