By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been ranked among Nigeria’s top performing government agencies in trade facilitation following its outstanding performance in the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
The assessment, released on Friday, recognised the NCS as one of the highest performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for fully complying with the provisions of the Business Facilitation Act while significantly improving the speed, efficiency and responsiveness of its trade related services.
The recognition marks another milestone in the Service’s ongoing drive to modernise customs administration, facilitate legitimate trade and improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria through technology driven reforms and enhanced service delivery.
Speaking on the assessment, PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Audu, stated that the Nigeria Customs Service distinguished itself by meeting all the prescribed compliance standards established under the Business Facilitation Act.
She stated that the Service also recorded notable improvements in the timeliness and efficiency of handling trade related matters, a development that earned it a place among the country’s best performing government institutions assessed during the exercise.
According to her, the performance reflects the Service’s commitment to building a more transparent, predictable and business friendly trading environment capable of supporting investment, economic growth and international trade.
She further stated that the Customs Service’s achievements are consistent with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business agenda, which seeks to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks, improve public sector efficiency and create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Audu added that the assessment showed significant progress across government institutions, disclosing that 98 per cent of the 69 Ministries, Departments and Agencies evaluated under the Business Facilitation Act are now meeting the required service delivery standards.
She stressed that the high level of compliance demonstrates that reforms introduced under the Act are yielding measurable improvements in government service delivery, transparency and institutional accountability across the public sector.
The latest recognition comes on the back of a series of strategic reforms implemented by the Nigeria Customs Service to transform customs administration and improve trade facilitation across the country’s ports and border stations.
Among the key reforms is the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, a digital platform designed to streamline customs operations, automate cargo processing and improve the efficiency of trade transactions.
The Service has also strengthened its trade facilitation framework through the implementation of the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, which grants qualified and compliant traders faster cargo clearance, reduced inspections and other trade facilitation benefits aimed at promoting voluntary compliance and supply chain security.
In addition, the Advance Ruling System has provided importers and exporters with greater certainty by enabling them to obtain official decisions on customs classification, valuation and rules of origin before goods arrive in the country, thereby reducing delays, disputes and unnecessary costs.
The reforms have collectively simplified import and export procedures, reduced cargo clearance time, improved transparency in customs operations, enhanced predictability in international trade transactions and strengthened stakeholders’ confidence in the Nigeria Customs Service.
