PEBEC Ranks Nigeria Customs Among Top Agencies in Trade Facilitation

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has emerged as one of the country's top-performing government agencies in trade facilitation following its outstanding performance in the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

The assessment report, released on Friday, ranked the NCS among the highest performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) after it met all prescribed compliance standards and demonstrated significant improvements in the speed and efficiency of its trade-related services.

Speaking on the report, Zahrah Audu, Director-General of PEBEC, said the Nigeria Customs Service distinguished itself by fully complying with the requirements of the Business Facilitation Act while recording notable progress in delivering timely and responsive services to businesses.

According to her, the agency's performance reflects ongoing efforts to promote 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 Ministries, Departments and Agencies assessed under the Business Facilitation Act now meet the expected service delivery standards, describing the result as evidence that reforms introduced under the Act are yielding positive outcomes across the public sector.

The recognition comes amid a series of reforms introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service to modernise customs administration and improve trade processes across the country.

Among the key initiatives are the B'Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme and the Advance Ruling System, all of which are designed to simplify import and export procedures, reduce cargo clearance delays and enhance transparency in customs operations.

Industry stakeholders have described the reforms as critical to strengthening Nigeria's trade competitiveness, improving investor confidence and facilitating smoother cross-border commerce.