The Nigeria Customs Service has said it would be able to account for 60 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) if it could collaborate effectively with the West Africa Security Project (WASP) for effective border security, among other well-stated objectives.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the country’s nominal GDP for the third quarter (Q3) of 2023 stood at N60.66 trillion, while the real GDP was N19.44 trillion.
The NBS said the country’s GDP grew by 2.54 per cent in the third quarter, with the growth rate exceeding the 2.25 per cent recorded in the same quarter of 2022 and higher than the second quarter of 2023 growth of 2.51 per cent.
“In real terms, the non-oil sector contributed 94.52% to the nation’s GDP in the third quarter of 2023. This sector was driven in the third quarter of 2023 mainly by Information and Communication (Telecommunication); Financial and Insurance (Financial Institutions); Agriculture (Crop Production); Trade; Construction; and Real Estate, accounting for positive GDP growth,” the bureau had said.
But while addressing some WASP delegates during a meeting at the Customs Corporate Headquarters in Abuja recently, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the agency would be better positioned to contribute more to the country’s GDP if it could effectively collaborate with WASP, especially in the area of curbing smuggling and illegal trafficking of substances.
The CGC, who noted that the engagement with the WASP delegates was to acquaint officers with security awareness for effective trade facilitation and effective border security, said the collaboration requires the cooperation of all the customs administrations involved.
CGC Bashir further outlined some of the benefits of the meeting, which he said include cargo profiling, small arms and light weapon handling, global shield programmes that deal with chemicals and radioactive elements, and sharing resources with stakeholders for synergy, amongst others.
“There is an existing project managed by the World Bank that looks at the Lagos-Abidjan corridor whose aim is to promote trade facilitation. Bringing in this new project that looks at the security aspect will boost our performances and provide a lot of opportunities for us,” the Customs boss stated.
“We will be able to account for 60% of the GDP if we are able to cooperate effectively. This project requires the cooperation and collaboration of all the customs administrations involved,” he added.
According to the CGC, the programme also entails field officers brainstorming and exchanging ideas. According to him, it will help officers know the convergence of smuggling routes to minimise smuggling and trafficking activities.
The project manager of the West Africa Security Project (WASP), Terry Wall, outlined some of the benefits of the programme, which include the identification of high-risk cargo, the provision of training for the national Customs Enforcement Network (nCEN), the delivery of refresher training in the use of the Customs Enforcement Network (CEN), a joint activity to deliver geospatial intelligence, and a high-level end-of-project evaluation with the donor.
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