2,500 Customs’ Officers Undergoing Training for Modernisation Project

2,500 Customs’ Officers Undergoing Training for Modernisation Project

By Abdulsalam Mahmud

No fewer than 2,500 officers of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, will be trained by the first quarter of 2025, to drive the agency’s modernisation project, PRNigeria reports.

The Customs modernization project is a Presidential Initiative, driven by the Federal Government’s economic agenda to optimize and diversify government revenue significantly away from the oil industry.

The project creates the basis for improving NCS’ services (i.e. improve revenue generation, facilitate trade development, minimise corruption), and place its operations on the path of long-term sustainability. The project is expected to have a significant long-term impact on the social and economic development of the country.

The project is being implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, which
terms are set out in a Concession Agreement (CA) executed on 30th May 2022 between the Federal Government of Nigeria (represented by the Nigeria Customs Service Board) as Grantor, and Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) Limited, as Concessionaire.

The project will equip the NCS with state-of-the-art technology infrastructure and facilities that will
transform the Service into an organisation that provides efficient services to businesses and other government agencies.

In addition to the deployment of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) infrastructure (equipment and software), the Concessionaire will also provide operational support to the NCS, including maintenance services and training of its personnel, from
the commencement date until the end of the 20-year concession period.

According to the Media Project Brief designed for the initiative, the project will be implemented in phases, with Phase 1, already under way.

“As of 31st December 2023, TMP had committed over US$400 million in investment priorities for the Phase 1 of the project. More than 2,500 NCS personnel will be trained by the first quarter of 2025, in line with the project’s capacity building framework.

“This will cover strategy, management and technical training, as well as direct skills and knowledge transfer. In accordance with the CA, TMP has jointly designed, developed and deployed all technology systems and platforms for the project.

“This ensures that NCS has complete knowledge of all technology software, hardware and services from inception,” part of the brief stated.