The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to strengthen international customs cooperation and boost trade facilitation through enhanced engagement with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD).
This followed an official visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to the RMCD Headquarters on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference (DSA) Malaysia 2026.
The high-level engagement comes amid expanding bilateral trade between Nigeria and Malaysia, with Nigeria’s imports from Malaysia rising significantly from N159.9 billion in 2020 to N716.0 billion in 2024. Cumulative trade between both countries has reached approximately N1.82 trillion over the past five years.
During the visit, Adeniyi was received by the Director-General of RMCD, Dato’ Haji Amran bin Haji Ahmad, whose recent appointment in March 2026 signals a renewed focus on reforms in enforcement and regulatory administration.
Both leaders held strategic discussions centred on institutional collaboration, customs modernisation, and coordinated border management frameworks aimed at improving operational efficiency and strengthening regulatory integrity.
Adeniyi noted that the growing scale of Nigeria–Malaysia trade relations requires a more structured customs-to-customs partnership. He described Malaysia as a key trading partner, highlighting imports such as crude palm oil, refined palm olein, jet fuel, machinery, and other industrial inputs.
He further stressed the pivotal role of customs administrations in facilitating legitimate trade while safeguarding national economic and security interests.
Despite longstanding trade relations, both parties acknowledged the absence of a formal legal framework guiding bilateral customs cooperation.
To address this, they agreed to commence processes toward establishing a Mutual Recognition Agreement under the framework of the World Customs Organization (WCO), to be pursued through diplomatic channels.
The proposed agreement is expected to strengthen mutual trust, provide a structured cooperation framework, and enhance reciprocal trade facilitation measures.
The engagement also featured a presentation by the Malaysian delegation on its evolving border management system, including the creation of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) as an integrated frontline agency.
In response, the NCS highlighted its Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and other trade facilitation initiatives designed to ensure predictable clearance processes, reduce transaction costs, and improve compliance.
Both sides emphasised the need for deeper collaboration in intelligence sharing, enforcement coordination, and technology-driven border management, particularly in combating illicit trade and transnational trafficking.
The NCS reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral partnerships as part of its broader modernisation agenda, noting that outcomes from the engagement would enhance operational capacity, improve trade facilitation, and reinforce border security in line with Nigeria’s economic growth objectives.
As part of his visit, the Comptroller-General also met with officials at the Nigerian Diplomatic Mission and Defence Office in Malaysia, commending their role in advancing Nigeria’s interests abroad.
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