Nigeria, China Strengthen Customs Ties with Focus on Tech, Training, and Trade Facilitation
In a strategic move poised to deepen Nigeria’s customs efficiency and global trade footprint, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has expanded its bilateral cooperation with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), focusing on cutting-edge training, modernisation, and smart technologies in customs operations.
The landmark development follows a high-level meeting in Beijing between top officials of the Chinese Customs Authority and a 21-member NCS delegation led by Oluyomi Adebakin, Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada.
Strategic Partnership for Maritime Modernisation
As China continues to dominate global trade corridors—including being Nigeria’s largest import partner—this renewed engagement reflects the shifting tide of global customs practices toward smarter, faster, and data-driven operations.
According to NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada, the bilateral dialogue focused on areas such as:
- Joint training methodologies
- Customs modernisation models
- Cross-border intelligence sharing
- Virtual learning and tech-driven simulation
- Regional port system cooperation
The delegation held technical meetings with GACC’s International Cooperation Division, Training and Education Centre, and the renowned Shanghai Customs College, where modalities for Nigeria’s participation in advanced customs modernisation courses were finalized.
Digital Learning, VR, and 5G at the Core
In a glimpse of China’s next-gen customs ecosystem, GACC revealed that its training programmes have evolved to incorporate Virtual Reality (VR), 5G-enabled systems, and blended e-learning platforms. In 2024 alone, over 8,000 physical sessions and 360 digital modules were deployed for global customs officers.
This presents an opportunity for Nigeria to leapfrog legacy systems and fast-track capacity development in port digitisation, risk profiling, smart cargo tracking, and anti-smuggling surveillance.
The Shanghai Customs College—regarded as a global benchmark—will now serve as a training ground for selected Nigerian officers, offering immersion in China’s smart customs architecture.
Over 200 African Officers Trained — 89 from Nigeria
China’s GACC confirmed that over 200 African customs officers, including 89 from Nigeria, have benefited from advanced trainings since 2023. These covered a wide range of subjects from trade facilitation, anti-smuggling enforcement, food safety supervision, to digital port operations—key to unlocking seamless trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Nigeria’s Customs Reforms Win Global Recognition
The Chinese customs leadership commended Nigeria’s ongoing reforms under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, whose election as Chairperson of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council has positioned Nigeria at the center of global customs diplomacy.
This recognition signals growing confidence in Nigeria’s readiness to lead regional and international customs reform, particularly in the integration of smart technologies, transparency tools, and trade intelligence platforms.
What This Means for Nigeria’s Blue Economy
With the Blue Economy gaining momentum under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, this collaboration supports Nigeria’s ambition to transform its port and trade infrastructure into a modern, digitised, and globally competitive ecosystem.
By learning from China’s data-centric and technology-first approach, Nigeria’s customs operations can significantly reduce cargo clearance time, increase revenue mobilisation, curb border crimes, and improve investor confidence in its trade gateways.
The Bigger Picture: From Training to Trade Transformation
This deepening partnership is more than a training exchange; it is a building block in Nigeria’s strategic positioning as West Africa’s trade hub. With Lagos ports handling over 70% of Nigeria’s maritime traffic, the infusion of AI-enabled customs practices and 5G infrastructure could mark the beginning of a new logistics revolution—one that accelerates ease of doing business, attracts blue-chip shipping lines, and supports Nigeria’s non-oil export agenda.
Bottom Line
China’s GACC-NCS collaboration offers Nigeria more than just training—it offers a blueprint for how customs and port authorities in developing economies can use innovation, cooperation, and policy alignment to become world-class.
As Nigeria pushes forward with port reform and blue economy optimisation, its customs-to-customs diplomacy with China could become a model for South-South trade cooperation in the 21st century.
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