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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has presented its digital transformation drive to customs administrations and technology experts at the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Smart Customs Project Global Event 2026 in Brussels, Belgium.
The two-day event, held on October 29 and 30 at the WCO Headquarters, examined how disruptive technologies can strengthen customs operations, improve border management and facilitate legitimate trade.
The Service was represented by Assistant Comptroller (AC) Omolara Adedeji.
The event opened with the formal launch of the WCO’s updated Study Report on Disruptive Technologies, with a session on its evolution, key findings and relevance to member administrations. Nigeria was among the customs administrations that contributed case studies to the report, alongside China’s General Administration of Customs and the Mauritius Revenue Authority.
The WCO Deputy Secretary General, Mr Ricardo Treviño Chapa, spoke at the opening ceremony. Keynote addresses were delivered by Ms Xueyan Guo, Director General of the International Cooperation Department of China’s General Administration of Customs, and Mr Eduard Hakobyan, Chairman of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee.
In her presentation, “Nigeria Customs Service: The Journey Towards Smart Customs”, Adedeji described the Service’s shift from manual operations to integrated digital processes under its Modernisation Project.
She named B’Odogwu, the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), as a major component. According to her, it supports automation, electronic processing and data-driven decision-making, and strengthens collaboration with government agencies and the private sector.
“The NCS is undergoing a deliberate transition from traditional Customs operations towards integrated digital operations,” she said.
“Through the Service’s Modernisation Project, we are strengthening automation, electronic processing and data-driven decision-making to build a more efficient, responsive and technology-driven Customs administration.”
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She identified smart technology and smart data as the two pillars of Nigeria’s Smart Customs vision.
The first covers automation, integrated systems, digital platforms and modern ICT infrastructure. The second focuses on intelligence-led interventions, data-driven risk management, analytics and better information sharing.
Adedeji said technology was now used well beyond customs declarations. She cited geospatial applications in fleet management, asset management and the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS), which she said improved operational monitoring, resource management and cargo visibility.
The Service’s transformation, she added, was moving past basic automation towards intelligent operations.
Priority areas include Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, predictive analytics, non-intrusive inspection, integrated border management, interoperability and real-time operational intelligence.
“By prioritising these technologies and investing in the people who will drive their application, we are working towards a system that anticipates risks, supports real-time operational intelligence and facilitates seamless trade,” she said.
She also stressed the Service’s commitment to building the human capacity to sustain the transformation, through upskilling personnel and developing a workforce with the technical competence to drive innovation.
Other sessions covered the Smart Customs Project’s deliverables under its AI/ML and Blockchain packages, including technical reports, readiness self-assessment tools and practical case studies.
A further session on AI governance and deployment readiness brought together experts and representatives from Cambodia, Mexico, Türkiye and Vietnam to discuss institutional preparedness, governance frameworks and the responsible deployment of emerging technologies.
