The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Customs Administration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands have strengthened their strategic partnership with the signing of a Joint Declaration aimed at enhancing trade facilitation, border security, intelligence sharing, and the fight against transnational organized crime.
The agreement, signed on Wednesday in Brussels, marks a significant step in expanding bilateral customs cooperation between the two countries.
NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed in a statement that the declaration was signed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, and the Director-General of Netherlands Customs, Mrs. Nanette van Schelven, following a series of high-level engagements between the two administrations.
According to Maiwada, the partnership is designed to facilitate legitimate trade while strengthening efforts to curb illegal cross-border activities.
He explained that the agreement builds on the Comptroller-General’s bilateral working visit to the Netherlands in October 2025 and the reciprocal visit by a delegation from the Netherlands Customs to Nigeria in March 2026.
The engagements, he said, focused on customs modernization, intelligence sharing, compliance management, enforcement cooperation, and institutional capacity building.
Under the Joint Declaration, both customs administrations committed to expanding collaboration through the exchange of expertise, joint training programs, knowledge sharing, and the development of structured cooperation frameworks.
“It also provides a foundation for developing a joint work plan and future cooperation mechanisms to enhance border efficiency, promote fair trade practices, strengthen supply chain security, and address challenges associated with both legal and illegal cross-border movement of goods,” Maiwada said.
He noted that discussions during the engagements covered key areas including risk management, cargo clearance systems, trade facilitation, border control, supply chain security, capacity development, and efforts to combat illicit trade.
The declaration also recognizes Nigeria’s strategic role as one of West Africa’s largest economies and an important trading partner of the Netherlands.
According to Maiwada, both parties acknowledged that stronger customs cooperation and institutional capacity building are essential to facilitating legitimate trade while effectively tackling cross-border crimes.
The agreement highlights growing global concerns over the trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors, counterfeit products, wildlife items, and illegal weapons, stressing that such threats require coordinated international responses.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Adeniyi said the Netherlands Customs had demonstrated the immense value of international cooperation in addressing emerging trade and border management challenges.
He expressed confidence that the partnership would strengthen intelligence sharing, enhance capacity building, improve enforcement efficiency, and reinforce efforts to secure global supply chains while promoting legitimate trade.
According to him, the declaration represents a major milestone in the Nigeria Customs Service’s international cooperation agenda and reflects the strong relationship between the two customs administrations over the years.
In her remarks, Van Schelven said both countries face similar challenges in an increasingly interconnected global trading environment.
She noted that deeper collaboration would foster mutual learning, strengthen operational capabilities, improve the fight against transnational organized crime, and support more efficient and transparent trade processes.
SOURCE: NAN
