Ministry of industry partners customs on border management

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI) and the Nigeria Customs Service have agreed to strengthen their trade facilitation partnership in order to enhance trade between Nigeria and its trading partners globally.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, disclosed this after meeting with the Secretary-General, World Customs Organisation (WCO), Mr. Kunio Mikuriya and the ComptrollerGeneral, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Dikko Inde Abdullahi, in Abuja yesterday.

Aganga said: “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 reduce the cost of doing business and ultimately improve our business and investment climate in our country.

“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.

“At the last World Trade Organisation meeting, one of the major areas trade ministers focused heavily on and even had an agreement was the area of trade facilitation, especially in terms of improving border management.”

They also focused on how trade ministers and Customs of various countries could work together to make it happen.

“The meeting agreed to strengthen the relationship and partnership between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Nigeria Customs Service for the overall benefit of the Nigerian economy in terms of facilitating trade and achieving regional integration as well as reducing the cost of doing business in Nigeria.”