Nigeria, Malaysia begin talks on Customs cooperation

Nigeria is moving to formalise customs cooperation with Malaysia, with talks now underway to establish a legal framework that could ease cargo clearance and strengthen border coordination.

The Nigeria Customs Service said in a statement that the decisions follow a visit by Bashir Adeniyi, its Comptroller General, to the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of a security and defence event.

Both sides agreed to begin processes towards a Mutual Recognition Agreement under the World Customs Organisation framework to provide a structured basis for bilateral customs cooperation, the Service said.

The development comes against the backdrop of rising trade flows, with Nigeria importing increasing volumes of palm oil, fuel and industrial inputs from Malaysia in recent years.

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Despite this growth, both customs administrations acknowledged that there is currently no formal legal framework guiding their cooperation.

Officials said the proposed agreement would support mutual recognition of compliance systems, including trusted trader schemes, and could help streamline cargo clearance, reduce delays and improve predictability for businesses operating across both markets. However, such agreements are typically technical and phased, requiring alignment of procedures and systems before any practical gains are realised.

Discussions also touched on broader areas of cooperation, including coordinated border management, intelligence sharing and the use of technology to tackle illicit trade and improve enforcement.

Malaysian authorities used the meeting to outline their evolving border control structure, while Nigeria shared information about its Authorised Economic Operator programme and other trade facilitation measures.