By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) have agreed to deepen collaboration to enhance trade facilitation and drive industrial growth, following a high-level strategic consultation held in Lagos on September 26.
The six-hour engagement, which culminated in a joint communiqué signed by Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi and MAN President Francis Meshioye, was described as a turning point in the relationship between both institutions.
A key outcome was the approval of strategic exemptions from the 4% FOB levy on imports, granted by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun. The exemptions cover raw materials, machinery, spare parts under Chapters 98 and 99 of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET), government projects with Import Duty Exemption Certificates, humanitarian goods, healthcare-related imports, and commercial airline spare parts.
Adeniyi further pledged reforms aimed at predictability and efficiency, including plans for a “One-Stop-Shop” trade platform to simplify clearance processes, as well as streamlined checkpoints to reduce delays. He noted that manufacturers not yet onboarded under Chapters 98 and 99 would benefit from expedited inclusion, while levy payments already made would be credited for future transactions.
Meshioye commended the Customs leadership for fostering a spirit of partnership, saying the reforms would ease operations, strengthen competitiveness, and support economic growth.
The Manufacturers Association pledged to complement these efforts through constructive policy engagement and by promoting compliance among its members.
Both parties also resolved to establish a formal tripartite consultation framework involving MAN, NCS, and the Ministry of Finance to ensure continuous policy dialogue, structured reviews, and effective monitoring of reforms. Customs further committed to developing clear guidelines for admitting MAN members into the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) scheme.
