Nigeria Customs, UK HMRC move to finalise mutual assistance agreement

Business, News

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the UK’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are working to finalise a Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA) to strengthen information sharing, compliance and trade facilitation between both countries.

The Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic, Research and Policy, Nafi’u Isyaku, who represented Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a bilateral meeting with an HMRC delegation on Friday in Abuja.

Isyaku said negotiations had been conducted virtually for about six months before both sides met physically at the NCS headquarters in Maitama to resolve outstanding issues ahead of the proposed signing in December.

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“We decided to come here in person so that we can finalise the negotiations before the final signing, which hopefully is coming up in the first week of December during the World Customs Organisation Policy Commission meeting,” he said.

HMRC Senior Policy Adviser, Syed Moinuddin, said the meeting provided an opportunity for both customs administrations to strengthen cooperation and establish a framework reflecting their mutual interests.

Louisa Bentley, HMRC Head of Bilateral Relations and Agreements, said the two-day negotiations were successful and that both sides were close to finalising the agreement.

She said the agreement would improve compliance and information sharing between the two administrations while supporting trade facilitation and expanding opportunities for both countries in global trade.

Bentley also commended NCS reforms after touring key facilities at its headquarters, including the Trade Modernisation Project Limited office, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report office and Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network station.

“We have seen significant developments in technology and personnel training,” she said, adding that the reforms would support more modern and efficient trade processes.

The bilateral meeting, held from Thursday to Friday, ended with a tour of key NCS departments and units to showcase ongoing reforms and operational developments.