NCS partners with EU-WCO, GIZ, others to establish Customs laboratories (Pictures)

January 30, 2024

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NCS partners with EU-WCO, GIZ, others to establish Customs laboratories (Pictures)

In a strategic move to boost duty collection and elevate service efficiency, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has joined forces with EU-WCO, GIZ, and other partners to implement customs laboratories.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, emphasized the importance of these laboratories during a five-day training course on Harmonised System coding, held at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The CG, represented by Assistant Comptroller General Malata Yusuf, highlighted the collaboration with EU-WCO Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, GIZ, and others to realise the vision of establishing NCS laboratories.

The primary objective is to enable customs officers to determine preferential conditions for goods, assess duties, and ensure the authenticity and safety of products.

CG Adeniyi urged the selected officers to seize the opportunity, acquire knowledge, and contribute to NCS’s success in global trade, the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, and other relevant areas. ACG Yusuf further explained that the laboratory training is structured in three phases: intermediary, advanced training, and training the trainers.

Assistant Comptroller General HJ Swomen, overseeing the Excise Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentive Department, expressed NCS’s commitment to building laboratories with the assistance of WCO.

He highlighted the officers’ readiness to learn from experts, setting the groundwork for the establishment of NCS labs.

Expert Alvaro Fernandez, leading the scoping mission from the Spanish customs administration, emphasized the significance of customs labs in Nigeria. He stated that these labs would aid in appropriate customs duty collection and protect society from potential threats posed by imported chemicals, drugs, and terrorist devices.

Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abubakar Nafiu, a committee member of the Customs Laboratories Initiative, disclosed that the absence of laboratories has resulted in significant revenue loss for the service.

The workshop aims to consolidate existing initiatives and formulate infrastructure for revenue generation, HS code generation, and enhanced security.

Nafiu unveiled that the establishment of customs labs will enable NCS to analyze and determine the origin of goods based on their texture, chemical composition, and structure.

Expert trainer Konneh Gasper from the Cameroon Customs Administration highlighted the international importance of Harmonised System (HS) codes.

According to Gasper, the HS code serves as the international language for classifying and codifying commodities, facilitating trade, collecting duties, and monitoring sensitive goods.

Representatives from the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), including Ms. Seno Usendia, encouraged participants to collectively focus on building the expertise necessary for the successful application of Harmonised Systems Codes.

See pictures below: