Nigeria Customs Service ranked first in trade facilitation

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been ranked by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) as Nigeria’s top-performing government agency in trade facilitation.

The ranking was contained in the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment released by PEBEC on Friday, 3 July 2026.

PEBEC Director-General Zahrah Audu said NCS met all prescribed compliance standards and showed marked improvement in the speed and responsiveness of its trade-related services, ranking it among the highest-performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) evaluated.

“The Nigeria Customs Service stood out by meeting all the required standards while recording notable improvements in the timeliness and efficiency of its response to trade-related matters,” Audu said, adding that the performance reflects a more transparent and business-friendly trading environment.

Audu credited the outcome to NCS’s sustained focus on operational efficiency and stakeholder experience, calling it consistent with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business agenda.

She also disclosed that 98 percent of the 69 MDAs assessed under the Business Facilitation Act are now meeting expected service delivery standards,  a figure she cited as evidence that reforms under the Act are improving government service delivery nationwide.

The recognition follows several reforms NCS has rolled out to modernise customs administration, including the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, and the Advance Ruling System. These initiatives have simplified import and export procedures, cut cargo clearance delays, and improved transparency in customs operations.