Nigeria customs service, Netherlands sign Historic Alliance
Nigeria Customs service, Netherlands Sign Historic Alliance
By Babatunde Aremu
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Netherlands Customs have signed a Joint Declaration to strengthen cooperation on trade facilitation, border security, and combating transnational crime. Signed on June 24, 2026, in Brussels by Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi and Director-General Nanette Van Schelven, the pact builds on prior bilateral visits and focuses on intelligence sharing, compliance management, and capacity building.
During the initial engagements, the two administrations explored opportunities for cooperation in risk management, cargo clearance systems, trade facilitation, border control, supply chain security, capacity development, and the fight against illicit trade. In the Joint Declaration, both parties acknowledged Nigeria’s strategic position as one of West Africa’s leading economies and an important trading partner of the Netherlands. They further recognised that customs cooperation and institutional capacity-building are critical to facilitating legitimate trade while combating illegal cross-border activities. The declaration highlighted growing concerns over trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, counterfeit goods, wildlife products, and weapons, noting that these threats require coordinated international responses.
The CGC, while signing the declaration, asserted that the Netherlands Customs have demonstrated immense value of international cooperation in addressing emerging trade and border management challenges. He added that the partnership will strengthen intelligence sharing, enhance capacity building, improve enforcement effectiveness, and support the collective efforts to secure international supply chains while facilitating legitimate trade. He described the declaration as a significant milestone in the Service’s international cooperation agenda and a reflection of the strong relationship established between the two Customs administrations over the past years.
Furthermore, the Director-General of the Netherlands Customs, Mrs Nanette Van Schelven, stated that both administrations face similar challenges in an increasingly interconnected global trading environment. She noted that closer collaboration would promote mutual learning, strengthen operational capabilities, and improve efforts to tackle transnational organised crime while supporting efficient and transparent trade processes.
The declaration commits both parties to deepening collaboration through the exchange of expertise, training, knowledge sharing, and the development of structured cooperation frameworks. It further provides a foundation for developing a joint work plan and future cooperation mechanisms to enhance border efficiency, promote fair trade practices, strengthen supply chain security, and address the challenges associated with both legal and illegal Cross Border movement of goods
