Customs, PEBEC Move to Expand Digital Reforms at Ports

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it is working with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to expand digital reforms aimed at reducing delays and improving cargo clearance at the country’s ports.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made the announcement during a meeting with the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Audu, at the Customs headquarters in Abuja on 6 March.

Mr Adeniyi said the service remained committed to creating a paperless port system and removing bureaucratic obstacles that slow trade processes.

He said the agency regularly meets with stakeholder groups, including the American Business Council and other trade associations, to identify operational challenges and improve cooperation within the trade sector.

He also said the Customs Service recently carried out a Time Release Study with the World Customs Organisation using Tin Can Island Port in Lagos as a case study. The study examined the time and cost involved in cargo clearance and included participation from shipping companies, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority, licensed customs agents and financial institutions.

Mr Adeniyi said the findings, published in January, were already guiding reforms within the service. He added that while some concerns raised by stakeholders had been addressed, others wouldinform future policy changes.

On the issue of 24-hour port operations, he said the initiative would only succeed if all actors in the logistics chain, including banks, shipping companies and terminal operators, were fully involved.

The customs chief said several processes had already been digitised, including pre-arrival documentation, cargo declaration, duty payments and release notifications. He added that delays still occur when some operators continue to rely on physical documentation.

He also said the agency was investing in scanning technology and information systems to strengthen risk-based cargo inspections and reduce physical examination of goods.

PEBEC Director-General Zahrah Audu said the council had launched a 90-day Business Environment Enhancement Programme to addresschallenges identified in its Business Facilitation Compliance Report published in November 2025.

She said PEBEC recently conducted a three-day operational assessment at Lagos ports with the Nigerian Ports Authority, observing cargo handling processes from vessel arrival to cargo exit and consulting with regulators and private-sector operators.

Ms Audu said the exercise identified areas needing improvement, including coordination of cargo inspections, joint boarding of vessels by regulatory agencies and wider use of technology in port operations.

Also speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, said vessel arrival schedules could help the service deploy officers more efficiently rather than keepingpersonnel stationed at terminals while awaiting ships.

She said the Customs Service remained ready to address operational issues raised through the PEBEC reporting platform and would continue working with the council to improve port efficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s business environment.