By Nkechi Eze
Nigeria has once again placed itself firmly on the global stage of Customs innovation and trade facilitation as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) deepened its international engagement at the 2026 World Customs Organisation (WCO) Technology Conference and Exhibition, which commenced on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), United Arab Emirates.
The high-level conference, organised by the WCO under the theme “Customs Agility in a Complex World: Securing and Facilitating Trade through Innovation,” convenes Customs administrations, technology providers, policymakers and industry leaders from across the world to examine how innovation and digital transformation can strengthen border security while simultaneously facilitating legitimate trade.
Nigeria’s active participation at the prestigious gathering underscores the Service’s accelerating trade modernisation agenda and its alignment with global best practices in Customs administration, particularly in the areas of digitalisation, data exchange, automation, intelligence-led enforcement and institutional agility.
Speaking during a panel session titled “Customs Agility in a Complex World: Securing and Facilitating Trade through Innovation,” the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, who also serves as Chairperson of the WCO Council, emphasised the centrality of structured international collaboration in confronting emerging cross-border threats and complex trade risks.
“Our experience has shown that robust engagement with international organisations such as INTERPOL, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Universal Postal Union creates opportunities for deeper cooperation, especially in tracking criminal networks, protecting intellectual property and managing emerging trade risks,” the CGC said.
He noted that enhanced data exchange and stronger governance frameworks remain indispensable in tackling global challenges such as cargo diversion along transit corridors, stressing that the phenomenon is not peculiar to Nigeria.
“Diversion of goods in transit is not a challenge unique to Nigeria; it is a global issue that requires coordinated Customs-to-Customs cooperation. Through existing WCO instruments and mutual administrative assistance frameworks, Customs administrations can more effectively investigate offences and ensure that goods reach their intended destinations,” Adeniyi stated.
The Comptroller-General also commended the innovative solutions on display at the conference, drawing particular attention to a digital humanitarian corridor solution presented by the United Arab Emirates.
“I saw a tool today developed by the UAE that creates a digital humanitarian corridor. If scaled across the global Customs community, it can significantly enhance our ability to move humanitarian goods efficiently within a fully digitalised environment,” he said.
CGC Adeniyi further observed that the global Customs response to rapidly evolving border challenges has been driven by a coordinated ecosystem of standards, frameworks and practical tools developed over time under the auspices of the WCO, with technology at the heart of these interventions.
According to him, true organisational agility goes beyond the mere deployment of systems and platforms, requiring the institutional capacity to absorb change, respond swiftly to emerging risks and continuously adapt operational approaches.
“Technology has been central to the work of the WCO and Customs administrations worldwide, and the progress recorded by UAE Customs across various operational areas demonstrates what is achievable when innovation is fully embraced,” he noted.
While highlighting technology as a critical enabler, the CGC stressed that sustainable modernisation must be underpinned by deliberate investment in human capital renewal. He pointed out that Customs administrations across WCO member states are experiencing generational transitions as experienced officers retire, making it imperative to build the skills and capacity of the next generation of officers.
“Building the competence of our young officers is essential to maximising the benefits of technology and sustaining long-term institutional effectiveness,” Adeniyi said.
Nigeria’s engagement at the conference was further reinforced by the strong presence of the Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) Team. The General Manager, TMP, Ahmed Ogunsola, participated in a panel session titled “Above the Clouds: Enhancing Customs Security through Cloud Computing and Data Analytics,” where discussions focused on how cloud-based infrastructure and advanced analytics can strengthen risk management, improve compliance levels and enhance Customs security.
Also representing TMP, Nabil Mustapha, the software development lead, delivered a technical presentation on the evolution of national trade systems, focusing on three key pillars: secure architectures, seamless user experience and beneficial outcomes for both government and the trading community.
At the exhibition ground, TMP operated a dedicated booth showcasing Nigeria’s ongoing Customs modernisation journey. Central to the display was the indigenous, custom-made B’odogwu application and other digital solutions designed to integrate all actors within the trade ecosystem, streamline processes, improve transparency and significantly ease the work of Customs officers and stakeholders.
The opening ceremony of the conference featured remarks by senior UAE officials, including the Chairman of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, Ali Mohammed Al Shamsi, who highlighted the transformative role of artificial intelligence, data analytics and smart monitoring systems in achieving secure and seamless trade. The Director-General of Customs and Port Security, Ahmed Abdullah bin Lahaj Al Falasi, also outlined future pillars of Customs development anchored on technology, human capacity development and inter-agency integration.
In his address, the Secretary-General of the WCO, Ian Saunders, underscored the enduring centrality of Customs administrations to global economic and social prosperity, noting that innovation is indispensable for managing evolving border threats, securing supply chains and facilitating legitimate trade.
The three-day conference features extensive panel discussions, case studies and live demonstrations covering risk management, innovative scanning technologies, cybersecurity, e-commerce, cloud computing and sustainable Customs operations, alongside an exhibition of next-generation border management solutions.
Beyond the exhibition and panel sessions, the NCS and TMP teams also actively participated in the conference’s Hackathon, collaborating with global Customs and technology experts to develop practical, innovation-led responses to emerging trade and border challenges. The engagement provided a platform to demonstrate Nigeria’s growing capacity not only to adopt global solutions but to contribute meaningfully to their design and development.
Overall, the strong presence of the Nigeria Customs Service and TMP Limited at the 2026 WCO Technology Conference reflects a clear and sustained resolve to modernise operations, strengthen international partnerships and deploy innovation as a strategic tool for achieving efficient, secure and globally aligned trade facilitation.
