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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Customs sensitise stakeholders to electronic cargo tracking rollout

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Nigeria Customs Service's PTML Command is piloting an Electronic Cargo Tracking System to modernize trade facilitation and revenue generation.
  • The new system replaces manual escorts with real-time GPS monitoring, aiming to reduce delays and enhance transparency.
  • Stakeholders will benefit from faster clearance, lower business costs, and improved security throughout the cargo journey.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is rolling out an Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) as part of its modernization efforts, with the Port & Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command selected as the second pilot site. This initiative aims to transition from manual cargo escorts to a technology-driven approach for improved efficiency and transparency in trade.

The deployment forms part of the ongoing reform and modernisation agenda of the NCS under the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, aimed at building a technology-driven, transparent, efficient, and globally competitive 21st Century Customs Service.

— Nura MikoExplaining the strategic importance of the ECTS rollout as part of the NCS's modernization efforts.

Nura Miko, Customs Area Controller for the PTML Command, explained that the ECTS deployment is crucial due to rising trade volumes that have made physical escorts unsustainable. The system will provide real-time GPS monitoring of cargo from origin to destination, offering enhanced visibility and control. It is designed to prevent diversion and leakage through instant alerts for route deviations or seal tampering.

The deployment forms part of the ongoing reform and modernisation agenda of the NCS under the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, aimed at building a technology-driven, transparent, efficient, and globally competitive 21st Century Customs Service.

— Nura MikoExplaining the strategic importance of the ECTS rollout as part of the NCS's modernization efforts.

The ECTS is expected to optimize manpower by freeing officers from escort duties to focus on core customs functions, thereby improving revenue assurance. It will also strengthen risk management and compliance by providing data for intelligence gathering and trader profiling. Stakeholders anticipate direct benefits, including faster clearance and delivery, reduced business costs due to fewer delays and demurrage, and more predictable transit times.

It will also support the elimination of diversion and leakage, with instant alerts triggered by route deviation, seal tampering, or unauthorised stops.

— Nura MikoDescribing the security features of the Electronic Cargo Tracking System.

This technological upgrade is a key component of the NCS's reform agenda under Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, striving for a globally competitive, technology-driven customs service. The sensitization workshop aims to inform stakeholders about the system's benefits and encourage adoption.

It will also support the elimination of diversion and leakage, with instant alerts triggered by route deviation, seal tampering, or unauthorised stops.

— Nura MikoDescribing the security features of the Electronic Cargo Tracking System.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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