The Nigerian customs service has been lauded for implementing technology, which has assisted the tax agency in increasing revenue collection by 90%.

Nigeria is encouraging African countries to fix the continent's inadequate digital infrastructure and poor interconnectivity, which it says are impeding economic facilitation in the West and Central Africa bloc

Government officials and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) leaders spoke in Abuja during the bloc's fourth World Customs Organisation (WCO) donor’s conference.

Adewale Adeniyi, comptroller-general of NCS, highlighted the ongoing technological and operational issues that customs administrations in the region face.

“Our region faces significant hurdles, from the rapid evolution of e-commerce to the complexities of technical procedures,” he said.

“However, Nigeria has made innovative strides with initiatives such as deploying the indigenously developed B’Odogwu platform, installing advanced scanners, and the comprehensive training of over 5 000 officers.”

The B’Odogwu platform aims to streamline trade facilitation, increase revenue collection and replace the outdated Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System.

Adeniyi further outlined some strategic initiatives requiring donor support.

These include adopting artificial intelligence for anti-smuggling operations, developing a Regional Single Window system and expanding digital infrastructure to enhance inter-agency collaboration and trade transparency.

Olawale Edun, Nigerian minister of finance commended NCS for adopting technology, which he said helped the tax agency achieve 90 percent increase in revenue collection and surpassing its target by 20 percent over the past financial year.

“These achievements, driven by modernised processes and WCO-supported initiatives, illustrate how strategic investments and technology can revolutionise trade and strengthen regional integration,” Edun said.