Adeniyi, Malaysia counterpart push new customs alliance to boost trade, security
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has taken a decisive step toward strengthening international trade and border governance, advancing high-level strategic cooperation with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD) amid rapidly expanding bilateral commerce between both countries.
This followed an official visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to the RMCD headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) Malaysia 2026 conference.
The engagement comes at a time when trade volumes between Nigeria and Malaysia have surged significantly, with Nigerian imports rising from ₦159.9 billion in 2020 to ₦716.0 billion in 2024, while total trade value over five years has climbed to an estimated ₦1.82 trillion.
Adeniyi was received by his Malaysian counterpart, Director-General Dato’ Haji Amran bin Haji Ahmad, whose recent appointment in March 2026 signals a renewed reform drive within Malaysia’s customs administration.
Both leaders held extensive discussions centred on institutional collaboration, customs modernisation, and the development of coordinated border management systems aimed at improving efficiency and regulatory compliance.
Highlighting the growing scale of economic exchanges between both nations, Adeniyi stressed the urgency of formalising customs-to-customs relations through structured frameworks.
He described Malaysia as a key trading partner, noting that Nigeria’s import portfolio from the Southeast Asian nation includes crude palm oil, refined palm olein, aviation fuel, processed foods, industrial machinery, and other critical inputs.
The talks also brought into focus a longstanding gap in bilateral relations—the absence of a formal legal framework guiding customs cooperation.
To bridge this, both countries agreed to commence processes toward establishing a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) under the World Customs Organisation (WCO) framework.
The proposed agreement is expected to strengthen trust, streamline procedures, and enable reciprocal trade facilitation measures through established diplomatic channels.
As part of the engagement, the Malaysian delegation showcased its evolving border control architecture, particularly the creation of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), designed as an integrated frontline enforcement body.
In response, Adeniyi outlined the NCS’s ongoing modernisation efforts, including the rollout of its Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, which aims to ensure predictable cargo clearance, reduce transaction costs, and enhance compliance among trusted traders.
Both sides underscored the importance of deepening cooperation in intelligence sharing, enforcement coordination, and the deployment of technology-driven solutions to tackle illicit trade and transnational trafficking.
Reaffirming its broader reform agenda, the NCS stated that outcomes from the engagement would significantly boost operational efficiency, strengthen border security, and support Nigeria’s economic growth objectives through improved trade facilitation.
During the visit, the Comptroller-General also engaged with officials at the Nigerian Diplomatic Mission and Defence Office in Malaysia, commending their role in advancing Nigeria’s strategic interests and providing support to Nigerians in the country.
The renewed Nigeria–Malaysia customs partnership signals a shift toward more structured, intelligence-led, and technology-driven collaboration, as both nations position themselves to better harness the opportunities of global trade while safeguarding their borders.