Nigeria Customs Expands Global Partnerships with Netherlands Cooperation Agreement
Kathy Kyari
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Customs Administration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands have signed a Joint Declaration aimed at deepening cooperation in trade facilitation, border security, intelligence sharing, and the fight against transnational organised crime.
The declaration was signed on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Brussels by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Director-General of Netherlands Customs, Nanette Van Schelven, marking a significant step in strengthening bilateral customs relations between both countries.
The agreement follows a series of high-level engagements between the two customs administrations, including the Nigeria Customs Service's working visit to the Netherlands in October 2025 and a reciprocal visit by a Netherlands Customs delegation to Nigeria in March 2026.
According to the declaration, both administrations agreed to enhance collaboration in key areas such as customs modernisation, intelligence sharing, compliance management, enforcement cooperation, risk management, cargo clearance systems, trade facilitation, border control, supply chain security, capacity development, and the fight against illicit trade.
Both parties acknowledged Nigeria's strategic role as one of West Africa's leading economies and an important trading partner of the Netherlands, stressing that stronger customs cooperation and institutional capacity-building are essential for facilitating legitimate trade and addressing illegal cross-border activities.
The declaration also highlighted growing concerns over the trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, counterfeit goods, wildlife products, and weapons, noting that these threats require coordinated international responses.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Adeniyi said the Netherlands Customs had demonstrated the immense value of international cooperation in addressing emerging trade and border management challenges.
"The partnership will strengthen intelligence sharing, enhance capacity building, improve enforcement effectiveness, and support the collective efforts to secure international supply chains while facilitating legitimate trade," he said.
The Comptroller-General described the declaration as "a significant milestone in the Service's international cooperation agenda and a reflection of the strong relationship established between the two Customs administrations over the past years."
Also speaking, the Director-General of Netherlands Customs, Nanette Van Schelven, said both administrations face similar challenges in an increasingly interconnected global trading environment.
She noted that "closer collaboration would promote mutual learning, strengthen operational capabilities, and improve efforts to tackle transnational organised crime while supporting efficient and transparent trade processes."
Under the agreement, both customs authorities committed to deepening cooperation through the exchange of expertise, training, knowledge sharing, and the development of structured cooperation frameworks.
The declaration further provides a foundation for the development of a joint work plan and future cooperation mechanisms aimed at improving border efficiency, promoting fair trade practices, strengthening supply chain security, and addressing challenges associated with both legal and illegal cross-border movement of goods.
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