Customs, Netherlands Deepens Bilateral Cooperation on Trade Facilitation, Compliance Management

Customs, Netherlands Deepens Bilateral Cooperation on Trade Facilitation, Compliance Management.

By Joe Njoku,
Global Freight News.

The Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has led a delegation from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to the Netherlands for a two day bilateral working visit aimed at strengthening cooperation on trade facilitation, port efficiency, and border management between the two countries.

The visit held between 29 and 31 October 2025, featured a series of high level technical engagements, institutional briefings, and strategic meeting with Dutch authorities and Customs experts.

The mission commenced at Laan op Zuid, Dutch Customs Headquarters in Rotterdam, where the Nigerian delegation was received by senior officials of the Netherlands Customs Administration.

The delegation attended a presentation by the National Tarriff Classification Team (TeemLTT) led by Ed Tulp, which focused on Tarriff and Origin procedures within the Dutch system.

This was followed by an in-depth session on Risk Management, delivered by Dennis van der Wolk of the Customs National Tactical Centre (DLTC), which highlighted the Netherlands model risk profiling, cargo monitoring, and tactical decision making in Customs operations.

Afterwards, the NCS team held a meeting with the Head of International Affairs at the Netherlands Customs, where discussions centred on enhancing inter-agency coordination, capacity building exchange programmes, and digital trade processes.

Speaking during the sessions, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR commended the Dutch Customs’ structured approach to classification and risk management, nothing that “the presentations have been particularly insightful in showing showing how systematic collaboration and data driven analysis can enhance compliance and trade facilitation across borders.”

In furtherance, he stated that the Nigeria Customs Service “remains committed to adopting international best practices that balance enforcement with facilitation, ensuring that legitimate trade thrives while revenue and security interests are safeguarded.”

The delegation later proceeded to Schiphol. Airport, where officials of Schiphol Cargo made a detailed presentation on cargo clearance and classification systems at one Europe’s busiest air freight hubs. The session provided a firsthand understanding of the Netherlands use of Automation, pre-arrival processing, and coordinated border management in handling high-volume air cargo.

At the meeting, Deputy Comptroller General Caroline Niagwan, who heads the Tarriff and Trade Department, expressed appreciation for the Netherlands structured cargo processes, saying that “the practical insights gained here will be instrumental in improving Nigeria’s own cargo handling systems, especially within our ongoing modernisation drive.

The engagement continued with a bilateral session at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted by Director-General of International Trade, Mr Machiel Zweers, where both sides discussed framework for technical assistance and knowledge exchange. Zweers reaffirmed the Netherlands commitment to fostering mutual learning between the two Customs Administration, describing the visit as “a new chapter of institutional partnership built on trust and Innovation.”

The delegation also held a high level meeting at the Netherlands Ministry of Finance to wrap up the two day bilateral working visit. The session reviewed key observation and findings from the engagements. It explored mechanisms to formalize a collaborative agreement in areas such as tarrif classification, risk management, trade facilitation, and gender equity.

CGC Adeniyi described the wrap up meeting as a constructive platform to consolidate lesson learned and translate them into practical frameworks that will strengthen Nigeria’s Customs modernisation programme and compliance culture.