The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has joined its peers in European countries, the United States of America, and Asia to launch a Time Release Study (TRS) to drive effective cargo clearance and trade facilitation.
The TRS methodology, developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), offers a systematic approach to measuring the total duration from goods’ arrival at the Customs border to their release.
Speaking during the official launch of the pilot scheme, on Thursday at the Tin-Can Island Command of Customs, Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, said Nigeria had to key into the initiative to avoid being left behind.
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Represented by Lydia Jafiya, permanent secretary, ministry of finance, Edun said the platform redefines the best approaches to creating an enabling environment for businesses and providing excellent services for economic cooperation.
“The TRS is a WCO tool used internationally for harmonising the various processes and procedures involved in Customs clearance. A conducive port environment is crucial for the facilitation of international trade. Efficient Customs processes are paramount for achieving cost-effective goods clearance and assuring efficiency in the system,” he explained.
He said the new platform will create a friendly business environment. He encouraged all the stakeholders in the port to rally around the Customs to ensure the success of the TRS.
Also speaking, Doris Uzoka-Anite, minister of industry, trade, and investment, urged the Customs to double its efforts on trade facilitation.
Uzoma-Anite said focusing on trade facilitation would also lead to revenue generation for Nigeria.
Earlier, Adewale Adeniyi, comptroller general of Customs, said that adopting international best practices will promote trade growth in the country.
Adeniyi said that TRS would provide comprehensive insights into Customs operational efficiency, thus contributing to national development goals.
