By Peace Udugba
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has emerged as one of Nigeria’s top-performing government agencies in trade facilitation, following the release of the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
The assessment, released on Friday, July 3, 2026, ranked the NCS among the highest-performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), citing its full compliance with prescribed standards and significant improvements in the speed and efficiency of its trade-related services.
PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Audu, said the Nigeria Customs Service met all compliance requirements while demonstrating notable progress in the timeliness and responsiveness of its operations.
“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.
She noted that the agency’s performance reflects its commitment to promoting a more transparent, efficient, and business-friendly trading environment in line with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business agenda.
Audu also disclosed that 98 per cent of the 69 MDAs assessed under the Business Facilitation Act are now meeting expected service delivery standards, describing the outcome as evidence that ongoing reforms are yielding positive results across government institutions.
The recognition comes on the heels of several reforms introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service to modernise customs administration. These include the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, and the Advance Ruling System.
According to the NCS, the initiatives have streamlined import and export procedures, reduced cargo clearance delays, enhanced transparency, and strengthened trade facilitation across the country’s ports and borders.
