Customs Trains Officers on Environmental Trade Regulations to Combat Illegal Trade
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its campaign against the illegal trade in environmentally sensitive commodities through a four-day capacity-building programme designed to strengthen officers’ understanding and enforcement of environmental trade regulations.
The Train the Trainers workshop, held from June 8 to 11, 2026, brought together Customs officers from across the country for intensive sessions on environmental governance, trade control measures, enforcement strategies and inter-agency collaboration aimed at improving compliance with international environmental conventions.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Nafiu Isiyaku, said the initiative underscored the Service’s commitment to enhancing its operational capacity in addressing emerging environmental and trade-related challenges.
He commended the various stakeholders whose support contributed to the successful implementation of the programme, noting that the impact of the training would extend beyond the classroom.
According to Adeniyi, the true measure of the programme’s success would be reflected in participants’ ability to transfer the knowledge acquired to other officers and apply it to improve operational outcomes across Customs formations nationwide.
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“We have explored critical issues relating to environmental governance, trade control measures, enforcement strategies and inter-agency collaboration, all of which are essential to protecting our environment and securing our borders,” he said.
The Customs boss stressed the importance of equipping officers with the skills required to enforce environmental trade regulations effectively, particularly in the face of increasing global concerns over illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods.
Also speaking, the Regional Programme Officer of the International Trade Centre (ITC), Richard Eke-Motoho, praised the NCS for its commitment to developing expertise in environmental trade regulation.
He noted that the training programme would help create a larger pool of national trainers capable of cascading knowledge across the Service and eventually serving as regional resource persons, thereby strengthening institutional capacity within the region.
Eke-Motoho further reaffirmed the commitment of the International Trade Centre and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to supporting initiatives that promote regional integration, sustainable trade practices and economic development.
The workshop forms part of broader efforts by the Nigeria Customs Service and its development partners to strengthen environmental governance, enhance border controls and ensure compliance with international standards governing trade in environmentally sensitive commodities.
By PRNigeria
