Diplomacy Prevails as Customs, Netherlands Deepen Bilateral Cooperation on Trade Facilitation, Compliance Management
Author: Muhammad Bashir.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has led a delegation from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to the Netherlands for a two-day bilateral working visit aimed at strengthening cooperation on trade facilitation, port efficiency, and border management between the two countries.
The visit, held between 29 and 31 October 2025, featured a series of high-level technical engagements, institutional briefings, and strategic meetings with Dutch authorities and Customs experts.
The mission commenced at Laan op Zuid, Dutch Customs Headquarters in Rotterdam, where the Nigerian delegation was received by senior officials of the Netherlands Customs Administration.
The delegation attended a presentation by the National Tariff Classification Team (TeamLTT) led by Ed Tulp, which focused on Tariff and Origin procedures within the Dutch system.
This was followed by an in-depth session on Risk Management, delivered by Dennis van der Wolk of the Customs National Tactical Centre (DLTC), which highlighted the Netherlands’ model for risk profiling, cargo monitoring, and tactical decision-making in Customs operations.
Afterwards, the NCS team held a meeting with the Head of International Affairs at the Netherlands Customs, where discussions centred on enhancing inter-agency coordination, capacity-building exchange programmes, and digital trade processes.
Speaking during the sessions, CGC Adeniyi commended the Dutch Customs’ structured approach to classification and risk management, noting that “the presentations have been particularly insightful in showing how systematic collaboration and data-driven analysis can enhance compliance and trade facilitation across borders.”
He further stated that the Nigeria Customs Service “remains committed to adopting international best practices that balance enforcement with facilitation, ensuring that legitimate trade thrives while revenue and security interests are safeguarded.”
The delegation later proceeded to Schiphol Airport, where officials of Schiphol Cargo made a detailed presentation on cargo clearance and classification systems at one of Europe’s busiest air freight hubs. The session provided a firsthand understanding of the Netherlands’ use of automation, pre-arrival processing, and coordinated border management in handling high-volume air cargo.
At the meeting, Deputy Comptroller-General Caroline Niagwan, who heads the Tariff and Trade Department, expressed appreciation for the Netherlands’ structured cargo processes, saying that “the practical insights gained here will be instrumental in improving Nigeria’s own cargo handling systems, especially within our ongoing modernisation drive.”
The engagement continued with a bilateral session at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted by Director-General of International Trade, Mr Machiel Zweers, where both sides discussed frameworks for technical assistance and knowledge exchange. Zweers reaffirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to fostering mutual learning between the two Customs administrations, describing the visit as “a new chapter of institutional partnership built on trust and innovation.”
The delegation also held a high-level meeting at the Netherlands Ministry of Finance to wrap up the two-day visit. The session reviewed key observations and findings from the engagements. It explored mechanisms to formalise a collaborative agreement in areas such as tariff classification, risk management, trade facilitation, and gender equity.
CGC Adeniyi described the wrap-up meeting as a “constructive platform to consolidate lessons learned and translate them into practical frameworks that will strengthen Nigeria’s Customs modernisation programme and compliance culture.”
In the same vein, the Director-General of International Trade, Machiel Zweers, expressed optimism that the engagement would lay a strong foundation for long-term institutional collaboration.
The visit concluded with a guided tour of the Port of Rotterdam (Portlandis), where the NCS management was briefed on the port’s integrated logistics operations, advanced cargo-tracking systems, and intermodal transport models. The tour, according to the CGC, “was an eye-opener on how synergy between Customs and port authorities can create an enabling environment for seamless trade and revenue optimisation.”
In his closing remarks, CGC Adeniyi emphasised that the visit symbolised the Nigeria Customs Service’s strategic intent to benchmark global standards. “This engagement has provided us with a clearer picture of how modern Customs administrations can achieve efficiency through partnership, technology, and shared expertise,” he said.
Similarly, DCG Niagwan noted that “the Netherlands model demonstrates that inclusivity, data intelligence, and inter-agency trust are indispensable elements of an effective Customs system.”
The visit, anchored on cooperation, mutual respect, and institutional learning, reinforces NCS’s commitment to transforming its processes in line with global best practices under the leadership of CGC Adewale Adeniyi.
Members of the CGC’s delegation included DCG Caroline Niagwan, DCG in charge of the Tariff and Trade Department and chairperson of the Service’s Gender Equality Programme; Deputy Comptroller Etim Ibok, CGC’s Special Assistant; Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, National Public Relations Officer; and Assistant Comptroller Lauretta Utubor, Team Lead of Nigeria’s Advance Ruling System, among others.
