Senior officers and management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been trained on the effective internalisation and implementation of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) reforms in line with the Business Facilitation Act (BFA) 2022, as part of efforts to improve trade facilitation and service delivery.

The training, facilitated by Reverso Facilitates Management Training, brought together top officials of the Service, including the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR), alongside Deputy Comptrollers-General and Assistant Comptrollers-General.

The programme was aimed at strengthening institutional capacity, leadership alignment, and compliance with national business climate reform priorities designed to enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness and investment appeal.

Participants were taken through key reform provisions of the BFA 2022, including transparency, operational efficiency, automation of processes, default approval mechanisms, and stronger inter-agency coordination—measures considered critical to reducing bottlenecks and improving the ease of doing business.

The sessions featured technical presentations, case studies, and interactive discussions assessing the Nigeria Customs Service’s performance under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) framework. These included reviews of historical compliance trends and operational gaps identified in recent assessments.

Speaking at the training, Reverso’s Managing Partner, Mr. Ayokunnu Ojeniyi, described the Customs Service as a pivotal institution in Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business agenda, noting that it serves as the country’s primary gateway for international trade.

“Every import and export transaction passes through Customs. How the Service operates directly shapes the experience of businesses, investors, and the wider economy. Strengthening institutional capacity within the NCS is therefore essential to building a more efficient and competitive business environment,” he said.

Beyond regulatory and operational reforms, the programme also focused on leadership and organisational effectiveness within the Service. Discussions centred on building high-performing executive teams, leadership accountability, collaboration, communication, trust, and performance management as enablers of successful reform implementation.

Participants also reviewed performance data showing marked improvement in NCS compliance between 2023 and 2025, particularly across efficiency and transparency indicators, reflecting the impact of recent reform initiatives.

The training concluded with the development of practical reform and leadership action plans aimed at improving service delivery, reducing cargo clearance delays, strengthening inter-agency collaboration, and enhancing the overall contribution of the Nigeria Customs Service to Nigeria’s business and investment environment.

Reverso is a public-sector-focused consultancy that works with governments and public institutions across Africa to strengthen institutional capacity and deliver effective policy and reform outcomes, providing end-to-end support from strategy development to implementation.