The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has partnered with World Customs Organization (WCO) and other agencies to train officers on Rules of Origin.
NCS earmarked the practice in order to achieve border security and trade facilitation by involving its personnel in various empowerment activities.
This was made known by the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi on Monday, January 22, 2024, at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada.
The announcement kick-started the inauguration of a 5-day workshop on ‘Rules of Origin,’ which was jointly facilitated by the Alliance for Trade Facilitation, GIZ, and the WCO.
CGC Adeniyi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Tariff and Trade, DCG Abdullahi Musa, received WCO experts in Nigeria to improve officers’ expertise in trade facilitation, thereby authorizing their participation in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
Speaking on behalf of the Customs boss, DCG Musa emphasized the CGC’s commitment to work with development partners for capacity building – and stressed the importance of the workshop in strengthening the Nigeria Customs Service.
His words: “So far, the Nigeria Customs Service has been designated the competent authority for issuing Certificates of Origin. Over the next five days, 25 officers will undergo intensive training on the Rules of Origin.
“I declare this workshop open on behalf of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.”
Meanwhile, the lead origin expert for the WCO, Mette Azzam, disclosed that the training workshop is an avenue for quality collaboration between customs administration, WCO, and GIZ.
Azzam pointed out the increasing importance of knowledge on Rules of Origin worldwide, especially the proliferation of Free Trade Agreements.
She also explained that determining the value of goods wrongly could lead to duty payments, and further stated the impact of Rules of Origin on revenue.
The WCO expert elucidated the need to correctly determine the preferential value of goods to avoid incorrect duty payments.
Similarly, the Assistant Comptroller-General in charge of Strategy, Research, and Policy, ACG Ibrahim Alfa, encouraged the participants to make valuable use of the training and stressed its importance in enhancing the Service’s efficiency in revenue generation.
ACG Alfa also mentioned the importance of correctly determining the preferential value of goods to avoid erroneous duty payments.
He reiterated the workshop’s focus on promoting the Service’s efficiency in revenue generation – and urged participants to utilize the knowledge presented, so as to be abreast of the evolving landscape of international trade agreements.
According to Customs, the 5-day workshop is scheduled to empower 25 officers through intensive training, discussions, and assessments on the Rules of Origin.
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