Nigeria Customs, NIIA Launch Bashir Adeniyi Centre to Boost Int’l Trade, Investment
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has partnered with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) to launch the Bashir Adeniyi Centre for International Trade and Investment, a significant advancement in Nigeria’s commitment to global trade and economic growth.
Named in honour of Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi, the centre was officially inaugurated in a ceremony at the NIIA headquarters in Lagos.
At the launch, CGC Adeniyi shared his enthusiasm for the centre’s potential to drive Nigeria’s economic positioning, stating, “The establishment of this Centre comes at an opportune time as Nigeria is repositioning itself in the global trade environment.
“As we continue to advance these initiatives, I envision that this Centre will evolve into a comprehensive national think tank focused on international trade and investment.”
Professor Eghosa Osaghae, the Director General of the NIIA, highlighted the centre’s unique role in preparing senior customs officers to navigate the intricacies of global trade.
“Today, we are very pleased as an Institute to announce to the world that we now have the Bashir Adeniyi Centre for International Trade and Investment. “This centre will serve as a finishing school for senior officers in customs, offering senior executive courses that will be certificated.
“Because this is the NIIA, we will do this as a global affair, properly immersing the Nigeria Customs Service in the framework of the World Customs Organisation,” he stated.
The event featured a panel of distinguished speakers, including former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke and Dr Chinyere Almona, as they discussed the critical challenges and prospective solutions in Nigeria’s trade and investment sectors.
In a post-event interaction with reporters, CGC Adeniyi further underscored the centre’s purpose, noting, “We have a strong commitment to our mandate of trade facilitation, among other things, so we believe that the centre will be a centre of excellence in building capacity and, most importantly, creating awareness about the necessity of conducting international trade. Trade brings prosperity, and we hope that this centre will foster prosperity through trade.”
Following the formal inauguration, CGC Adeniyi led a tour of the centre, showcasing its facilities designed to support the centre’s ambitious agenda of capacity building and international engagement.
This partnership marks a new era for Nigeria Customs and represents a strategic move towards fostering trade-driven economic prosperity in Nigeria.
