US trade barriers report: Customs tackles port bottlenecks

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has introduced several measures to address bottlenecks at the nation’s ports and facilitate trade.

The service was responding to concerns about obstacles to trade in Nigeria highlighted in the United States 2026 National Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers.

The National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, DC Abdullahi Maiwada, said the service had initiated programmes, including the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, Advance Ruling and the B’Odogwu platform, to facilitate cargo movement in and out of the ports.

Maiwada also said Customs had strengthened its engagement with the American Business Council to address concerns raised by its members and obtain regular feedback on trade-related challenges.

“From the perspective of the Nigeria Customs Service, I want to reiterate that under the leadership of the present Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, we have initiated a very cordial relationship with the American Business Council to make sure we walk the talk.

“We have initiated a quarterly meeting with the council. The maiden meeting held early this year in Lagos and the second meeting took place in Abuja.

“I can attest to the fact that some of the bottlenecks that were identified by members of the American Business Council have been addressed. At the second meeting, members of the council attested to the fact that some of those issues have been addressed.

“From our own end, we are doing whatever is possible to facilitate trade at the ports. We have introduced the Authorised Economic Operator Programme, which some of the companies under the American Business Council can benefit from if they meet the requirements. They will be able to benefit from this preferential treatment.

“We have also introduced the Advance Ruling initiative to ensure that cargoes move very fast at the ports.

“Whatever we are doing is to make sure that trade facilitation is actualised within the confines of our responsibilities,” he said.

Following the maiden meeting between Customs and the American Business Council in Lagos, both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their relationship, with Adeniyi pledging to address bottlenecks affecting business operations through sustained public-private sector engagement.

The second meeting, held on June 16, 2026, at the Customs headquarters in Abuja, focused on improving trade facilitation, enhancing security and strengthening economic ties between Nigeria and the United States.

Speaking at the meeting, Adeniyi stressed the importance of regular consultations with stakeholders, saying the engagement would be institutionalised as a permanent feature of the service’s calendar.

“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,” he said.

Adeniyi also briefed participants on developments in key trade facilitation initiatives, including the Advance Ruling system, AEO Programme, Post Clearance Audit, B’Odogwu platform, as well as improvements in scanning integration and cargo clearance procedures.

Members of the American Business Council welcomed the reforms while calling for faster mechanisms to resolve outstanding challenges affecting businesses.

The President of the council, Nneka Enwereji, described the meeting as productive and commended the Customs leadership for its efforts to improve the ease of doing business.

“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,” she said.

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