The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Nigeria Customs Service have agreed to strengthen their trade facilitation partnership, in order to enhance the trade between Nigeria and its global partners.
This was one of the highpoints of the meeting between the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga; the Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation, Kunio Mikuriya and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Dikko Inde Abdullahi in Abuja on Tuesday February 18, 2014.
Olusegun Aganga in his speech delivered after the meeting said that the Nigeria Customs Service should not be seen only as a revenue generating agency to Government, but also an important stakeholder in trade facilitation. “The meeting between the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service was a very fruitful one. Globally, there is a paradigm shift in the way the Customs is seen as not only a revenue generating agency to government, but also a very important stakeholder in the area of trade facilitation,” the Minister noted.
According to him, during the last World Trade Organisation meeting, one of the major areas which Trade Ministers focused heavily and agreement on was trade facilitation, especially in terms of improving on border management. He added that they also focused on how Trade Ministers and Customs of various countries could work together to make it happen.
Aganga inferred that the just concluded meeting provided an opportunity to appreciate the role of the Customs Service as a strategic partner in improving trade facilitation. He further stressed that it strengthened the relationship as well as partnership ventures between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Nigeria Customs Service in terms of facilitating trade and achieving regional integration for the benefit of the Nigerian economy.
The Minister also noted that fostering a stronger synergy between the Customs Service and the Ministry would contribute to reducing the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
“In recent times, the role of the Nigeria Customs Service has evolved from just revenue generation to trade facilitation through effective border control and management. They have a major role to play in ensuring that the implementation of our sectoral policies in automobile and other sectors is successful. That is why we need to strengthen the communication and working relationship between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Customs Service. If our border management is effective, it will help to reduce the cost of doing business and ultimately improve on the business and investment climate in our country,” he explained.
He disclosed that the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service is doing a lot but needs to be recognised, appreciated and motivated; adding that they should persist in doing more for the country, especially considering the fact that they have the country’s trade facilitation infrastructure.
In his speech at the meeting, the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation, Kunio Mikuriya indicated that strengthening the already cordial relationship between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Nigeria Customs Service is crucial as important organisations for trade facilitation, imploring effective border management to reduce the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
Earlier in his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Dikko Inde Abdullahi stated that the Nigeria Customs Service has had good working relationships with the Minister over the years; stressing that he would do his best to strengthen the already existing cordial relationship.
“We have had a good working relationship with Aganga since his former days as Finance Minister. He gave us a lot of support, encouragement and motivation and played a major role in improving the Customs Service in several ways. We will work together with him and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to improve on the current level of trade facilitation in Nigeria,” he said.
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