Nigerian Customs, UK HMRC advance mutual assistance deal, target December signing

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom have advanced negotiations on a Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA), with both administrations targeting its signing in December.

The proposed agreement is expected to strengthen cooperation between the two customs administrations, particularly in information sharing, compliance and trade facilitation, while providing a framework for closer engagement on matters of mutual interest.

The development followed a two-day high-level bilateral meeting between the NCS and HMRC held at the NCS headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, from Thursday, September 25 to Friday, September 26, 2026.

The Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of the Strategic, Research and Policy Department, Nafi’u Isyaku, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the meeting was convened to resolve outstanding issues and move the agreement towards conclusion.

Isyaku

Isyaku said negotiations had been conducted virtually for about six months before both sides decided to meet physically to finalise the outstanding aspects of the agreement.

“The meeting is to finalise our Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA). We have been doing it virtually for some six months now. We decided to come here in person so that we can finalise the negotiations before the final signing, which hopefully is coming up in the first week of December during the World Customs Organisation Policy Commission meeting,” he said.

The ACG said the agreement would provide a stronger basis for cooperation between the two customs administrations and support efforts to improve compliance and facilitate legitimate trade.

Speaking on the engagement, Senior Policy Adviser at HMRC, Syed Moinuddin, described the meeting as an opportunity for both administrations to work through areas of cooperation and establish a framework that reflects the interests of the two authorities.

He said the discussions would further strengthen the relationship between the NCS and HMRC within the wider customs community.

Also, Louisa Bentley, Head of Bilateral Relations and Agreements at HMRC, said the negotiations had been successful, with both sides making progress towards finalising the agreement.

Bentley said the proposed agreement would boost trade by improving compliance and information sharing between HMRC and the NCS, while enhancing trade facilitation for both countries.

According to her, stronger cooperation between the two administrations would support compliance and enable both countries to take better advantage of opportunities in global trade.

The HMRC delegation also commended the ongoing reforms of the NCS following a tour of key facilities at the Customs headquarters.

The delegation visited the Trade Modernisation Project Limited office, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report office and Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network station, among other key units.

Bentley said the delegation had witnessed significant developments in technology and personnel training, noting that the reforms would support more modern and efficient trade processes.

The two-day engagement ended with a tour of key departments and operational units at the NCS headquarters, providing the HMRC officials with an opportunity to gain insight into technological and institutional developments within the Nigerian Customs administration.

The proposed CMAA, if concluded as scheduled, would deepen bilateral customs cooperation and provide a structured framework for information exchange, compliance and trade facilitation between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.