The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its international customs collaboration efforts through a strategic engagement with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD), aimed at improving trade facilitation and modernising border management systems.
The engagement followed an official visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, to the RMCD headquarters during his participation at DSA Malaysia 2026.
The visit comes amid growing trade relations between both countries, with Nigeria’s imports from Malaysia rising significantly from NGN 159.9 billion in 2020 to NGN 716.0 billion in 2024, bringing total trade volume to about NGN 1.82 trillion over the past five years.
Adeniyi was received by the Director-General of RMCD, Dato’ Haji Amran bin Haji Ahmad, who assumed office in March 2026 under a reform-driven leadership agenda focused on enforcement efficiency and regulatory modernisation.
Both officials held high-level discussions centred on customs modernisation, institutional cooperation, and coordinated border management systems designed to improve efficiency and strengthen regulatory integrity.
The Comptroller-General stressed that the scale of Nigeria–Malaysia trade requires a more structured customs-to-customs partnership, noting Malaysia’s importance as a key trading partner supplying products such as crude palm oil, refined palm olein, jet fuel, machinery, and food preparations.
He also emphasised the need for customs administrations to strike a balance between facilitating legitimate trade and protecting national economic and security interests.
Both agencies acknowledged that despite long-standing trade relations, there is currently no formal legal framework guiding customs cooperation between the two countries.
To address this gap, both sides agreed to begin processes towards establishing a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) under the World Customs Organisation (WCO) framework, to be pursued through diplomatic channels.
The proposed agreement is expected to provide a structured foundation for cooperation, enhance mutual trust, and support reciprocal trade facilitation measures.
The discussions also featured presentations from the Malaysian side on its evolving border management system, including the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), which serves as an integrated border security institution.
In response, Adeniyi highlighted Nigeria’s Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and other trade facilitation initiatives aimed at ensuring faster clearance processes, reducing transaction costs, and improving compliance standards.
Both parties underscored the importance of enhanced collaboration in intelligence sharing, enforcement coordination, and the use of technology in combating illicit trade and transnational trafficking.
The NCS reiterated its commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral partnerships as part of its ongoing modernisation agenda, stating that the outcomes of the engagement will enhance operational efficiency, improve trade facilitation, and strengthen border security.
As part of the visit, the Comptroller-General also met with officials of the Nigerian Diplomatic Mission and Defence Office in Malaysia, where he commended their efforts in promoting Nigeria’s interests and supporting citizens abroad.
