…Collaborates with EU-WCO, GIZ, Others
In a bid to improve duty collection and enhance service efficiency, the Nigeria Customs Service has commenced a Five-Day course for the training of officers on Harmonized System coding and customs laboratories.
The training which began on Monday 29, January 2024 at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College Gwagwalada, Abuja, is expected to give all participants- scientist officers, the opportunity to learn international best practices in HS and laboratories, and also prepare them for the establishment of NCS labs.
While speaking on the first day of the training, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, noted that the selected officers are to make good use of the opportunity to acquire knowledge that will pave the way for NCS to thrive in global trade, Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, and other areas.
He stated that the Service had to collaborate with the EU-WCO Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, GIZ, and others to actualize the vision of creating Customs laboratories.
Represented by the Assistant Comptroller General in charge of Training and Coordination, Malata Yusuf, the CGC emphasized the necessity for customs to have their laboratory to determine the preferential conditions of goods, duties to be paid, and the genuineness and safety of goods.
He thus advised Officers participating in the training to actively exchange ideas during the educational workshop.
According to ACG Yusuf, NCS needs this lab to determine certain chemicals and products, equipping officers with the proper knowledge for practical application over time.
He added that the training is in three phases: intermediary, advanced training, and training the trainers, where trained officers will subsequently train others.
Also speaking, Assistant Comptroller General HJ Swomen, overseeing the Excise Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentive Department, expressed NCS’s desire to build laboratories, contacting WCO for assistance. He stated that officers are prepared to learn from experts, providing the foundation for the laboratory.
He further noted that with all participants as scientists, officers have the opportunity to learn international best practices in HS and laboratories, preparing for the establishment of NCS labs.
Expert Alvaro Fernandez from Spanish customs administration, leading the scoping mission in establishing customs labs in Nigeria, explained that WCO is scanning the options, allocation, facilities, and perspective for having a lab in Nigeria. He added that the labs will help NCS collect customs duties appropriately and protect society from imported chemicals, drugs, and terrorist devices, among other things.
Furthermore, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abubakar Nafiu, serving under the Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology Unit and a committee member of the Customs Laboratories Initiative, stated that the absence of laboratories has cost the service significant revenue loss. He disclosed that the workshop aims to consolidate existing initiatives and formulate infrastructure for revenue generation, HS code generation, and enhanced security.
On his part, Konneh Gasper, an expert trainer on the HS by the WCO from the Cameroon Customs Administration, stated that the HS code is the international language for classifying and codifying commodities. According to him, “the HS is used to collect duties, facilitate trade, gather data on international trade, and monitor sensitive goods.’’
