By Nkechi Eze
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its strategic engagement with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD) as both agencies move to deepen cooperation on trade facilitation, customs modernisation, and coordinated border management systems.
According to an official signed statement by the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, the engagement followed an official visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, to the RMCD Headquarters on the sidelines of his participation at DSA Malaysia 2026. The visit comes amid growing bilateral trade between both countries, with Nigeria’s imports from Malaysia rising from NGN 159.9 billion in 2020 to NGN 716.0 billion in 2024, bringing cumulative trade value to approximately NGN 1.82 trillion over a five-year period.
During the high-level meeting, the Comptroller-General was received by the Director-General of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, Dato’ Haji Amran bin Haji Ahmad, whose reform-driven leadership was noted as central to ongoing customs transformation efforts in Malaysia. Both leaders held extensive discussions on institutional collaboration, regulatory efficiency, and the strengthening of coordinated border management frameworks aimed at enhancing trade facilitation and enforcement effectiveness.
Adeniyi stressed that the scale and trajectory of Nigeria–Malaysia trade relations required a more structured customs-to-customs partnership, noting that Malaysia remains a key trading partner to Nigeria. He highlighted major imports from Malaysia including crude palm oil, refined palm olein, jet fuel, food preparations, machinery, and other industrial inputs, while emphasising the critical balance customs administrations must maintain between trade facilitation and national security imperatives.
Both agencies acknowledged the absence of a formal bilateral legal framework governing customs cooperation despite longstanding trade relations. In response, they agreed to initiate processes toward establishing a Mutual Recognition Agreement under the framework of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), to be pursued through appropriate diplomatic channels. The proposed arrangement is expected to institutionalise cooperation, strengthen mutual trust, and enhance reciprocal trade facilitation mechanisms.
The engagement also featured a presentation by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department on its evolving border management structure, including the establishment of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) as an integrated border control institution. In turn, the Comptroller-General outlined Nigeria’s Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and other reform-driven initiatives aimed at improving clearance efficiency, reducing transaction costs, and strengthening compliance frameworks.
Both sides further underscored the importance of enhanced collaboration in intelligence sharing, enforcement coordination, and technology-driven border management, particularly in addressing illicit trade and transnational trafficking networks.
The Nigeria Customs Service reaffirmed its commitment to advancing bilateral and multilateral partnerships as part of its broader modernisation agenda, noting that outcomes from the engagement are expected to improve operational efficiency, strengthen border security, and support Nigeria’s economic growth objectives. The Comptroller-General also visited the Nigerian Diplomatic Mission and Defence Office in Malaysia, commending their roles in advancing Nigeria’s interests and supporting citizens abroad.
