The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to technology-driven trade facilitation while addressing global leaders at the 2026 World Customs Organisation (WCO) Technology Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Speaking as both Nigeria’s customs chief and the elected Chairperson of the WCO Council, Adeniyi emphasized the critical role of structured international collaboration and innovation in securing borders and simplifying legitimate trade.
Okay News reports that the conference, themed “Customs Agility in a Complex World,” gathered administrations and experts to examine digital solutions for modern border challenges. CGC Adeniyi highlighted the necessity of robust engagement with international bodies like INTERPOL and the Universal Postal Union to track criminal networks and manage emerging trade risks, framing issues like cargo diversion as global problems requiring coordinated customs-to-customs solutions.
The Comptroller-General pointed to practical innovations showcased at the event, such as a digital humanitarian corridor tool developed by UAE Customs, as examples of scalable solutions that could enhance global efficiency.
He stressed that true organizational agility extends beyond deploying new platforms, requiring the capacity to absorb change, respond to emerging threats, and continuously adapt operational approaches.
Adeniyi noted that sustainable modernization must be supported by deliberate investment in human capital, especially as experienced officers retire and administrations face generational transitions.
Nigeria’s active participation in this high-level forum underscores the NCS’s ongoing drive to align its trade modernization project with global best practices in data exchange, digitalization, and intelligence-led enforcement for improved economic governance.
