FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Customs Modernisation Project is the automation of the business processes of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), to simplify and enhance the experience of its customers, making it easy to obtain import and export clearances, pay duties and obtain the release of goods.

What are the objectives of the project?

The overall objective is to deploy a comprehensive solution across the administrative and operational activities of the NCS, in line with its mandate for effective tariff collection, securing the border, preventing smuggling and managing relevant data about movement of goods across the Nigerian border.

The project will also deliver the following:

1. Design a technology architecture that will provide the required platform for the project

2. Deploy the necessary technology across all NCS sites in line with approved timeline

3. Provide organisation-wide capacity building to ensure sustainable implementation by NCS

How Has Customs Modernisation Helped Other Countries Grow Their Economies?

The Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) is being overseen by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and has more than 80 countries on it so far and is at the third generation of software.The largest implementation of customs modernisation is in the EU, where it has been operational block-wide since the 1990s. This is at the heart of the EU Customs Union and has greatly simplified trade facilitation within the block and between the block and other countries. There are several studies on its success and the EU strategy paper on customs modernisation is updated almost on a yearly basis. The fact that Brexit has not led to a breakdown in trade facilitation in Europe is attributable to this phenomenon.The United States has also developed and has deployed its customs modernisation platform that allows traders to process clearance and pay for duties anywhere, anytime. This has eliminated the need for third party agents and empowered shippers to take more control of their activities, while supporting Ports management effort to run, as efficiently as possible.The United Arab Emirates has also been implementing a customs modernisation project and is currently on the second version of its software. The status of Dubai as the heart of global trading would have been impossible without automation of its Customs processes.China, the largest trading facilitation system in the world, relies extensively on customs modernisation schemes, including the automation system being implemented by Huawei Technologies across many of its ports. It is worthy of note that Huawei is the lead technical partner for the Nigeria Customs Service modernisation project.

What Are The Services That The Project Will Provide?