By Nkechi Eze
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have advanced negotiations on a Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA) aimed at strengthening information sharing, regulatory compliance and trade facilitation between both countries.
The Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of the Strategic, Research and Policy Department, Nafi’u Isyaku, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Friday, September 26, 2026, during a high-level bilateral meeting with an HMRC delegation at the NCS headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
According to Isyaku, the engagement was convened to resolve outstanding issues in the negotiations and pave the way for the formal signing of the agreement, which is expected to take place in December during the World Customs Organisation Policy Commission meeting.
He said the negotiations had been conducted virtually for about six months before the two administrations opted for a physical meeting to conclude the outstanding aspects of the agreement.
“The meeting is to finalise our Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA). We have been doing it virtually for some six months now. We decided to come here in person so that we can finalise the negotiations before the final signing, which hopefully is coming up in the first week of December during the World Customs Organisation Policy Commission meeting,” Isyaku said.
Speaking on the significance of the engagement, Senior Policy Adviser at HMRC, Syed Moinuddin, described the meeting as an opportunity for both customs administrations to work through areas of cooperation and establish a framework that reflects the interests of the two authorities.
He said the discussions would further strengthen the relationship between the NCS and HMRC within the wider international customs community.
Also, the Head of Bilateral Relations and Agreements at HMRC, Louisa Bentley, said the two-day negotiations had been successful, noting that both sides were close to finalising the agreement.
Bentley said the proposed agreement would enhance trade between Nigeria and the UK by improving compliance and information sharing, while strengthening trade facilitation and creating greater opportunities for both countries within the global trading system.
“The agreement would boost trade by improving compliance and information sharing between HMRC and the NCS, while also enhancing compliance and trade facilitation to both partners in global trade opportunities,” she said.
The HMRC delegation also toured key facilities at the NCS headquarters, including the Trade Modernisation Project Limited office, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report office and Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network station.
Bentley commended the reforms being implemented by the NCS, particularly in technology deployment and personnel development, saying the developments would contribute to more modern and efficient trade processes.
“We have seen significant developments in technology and personnel training,” she said, adding that the reforms would support more modern and efficient trade processes.
The bilateral engagement, which began on Thursday, September 25, and ended on Friday, September 26, provided both customs administrations with an opportunity to review areas of cooperation and assess ongoing reforms as they work towards concluding the CMAA.
