Customs attains 75% automation, cuts inspection hour – Ali

The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) said Customs has attained 75 per cent automation level while cutting down inspection hours of imported items and papers processing at ports and airports to ease business operations.

Col. Ali who disclosed this yesterday during the three-day 1st Extraordinary Meeting of African Union Sub-committee of Directors-General of Customs in Abuja, said the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has achieved much in his 18 month stay so far.

He said, “If you have been following the trend of Ease of Doing Business initiated by the Vice President, the Customs is key to that. We have reduced the hours of inspection and physical examination; we have also reduced paper processing from 17 to 10.

The Customs boss said the meeting was to bring the African Union (AU) Customs Administration together to articulate a common agenda and speak in unison during the World Customs Organisation (WCO) annual meeting in July 2017. It was also to discuss the impact of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) adopted by WCO this year to enable African countries ratify Ali said.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun while declaring the meeting opened expressed concerns over illicit financial flows. She charged the participants to deliberate towards boosting border security to improve revenue collection, and enhance trade facilitation.

Secretary General of WCO, Mr Kunio Mikuriya lauded the initiators of the meeting and lauded Nigeria’s effort at border security noting that improved trade facilitation is only achievable with enhanced security at the borders. it,