The Nigeria Customs Service has generated about N40 billion in revenue from the Kano Free Trade Zone since January 2026, reflecting increased economic activity among manufacturers, traders and warehousing operators.
Deputy Comptroller of Customs at the zone, Isah Bala, disclosed the figure during a media tour of the facility in Kano State.
Bala said the revenue is tracked through a live dashboard, which is updated every 15 minutes. He noted that collections increased from N39 billion to N40 billion during the media engagement as fresh duty payments were recorded.
“Congratulations, you were here when it turned into 40 billion. It was 39 when you came in. So, you can see it just updated because there have been payments made,” Bala said.
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He explained that Customs operations at the zone focus on compliance, trade facilitation and accountability, particularly in monitoring raw materials imported by manufacturers.
According to him, companies operating in the free trade zone can import raw materials, process them into finished goods and export their products under applicable incentives.
However, duties are payable when goods or processed products are moved into Nigeria’s customs territory.
Bala said revenue generated from the zone is remitted to the Federation Account, adding that Customs collected about N167 million in duties on the day of the media tour.
He attributed the rising collections to increased commercial activity and improved cooperation between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority.
Immigration Eases Expatriate Procedures
Meanwhile, Assistant Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Aminu Mohammed, said reforms had simplified the process for foreign workers employed by companies operating in free trade zones.
He said eligible expatriates could now obtain residence permits before arriving in Nigeria, enabling them to commence work soon after arrival.
“Once he’s employed by a company, he can be registered and can be issued a residence permit directly before he even enters Nigeria. Immediately he enters Nigeria, work has started,” Mohammed said.
He explained that businesses operating within free trade zones follow different procedures from companies outside the zones, particularly regarding expatriate employment.
Mohammed said the reforms, supported by the digitisation of immigration services, were designed to make the zones more attractive to investors and support industrial growth.
