Huawei receives Customs team in Johannesburg

The Technical Working Group of the Nigeria Customs Service’s Authorised Economic Operator that was on a five-day mission with the South African Revenue Service was received by Huawei Technology in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the visit was part of the accelerated trade facilitation programme, which was sponsored by the World Customs Organisation UKAID, and supported by SARS to assist the NCS in the implementation of the AEO Programme in Nigeria.

During the meeting, the  SARS AEO Lead, Penny Bologo, called for increased collaboration with the NCS to facilitate the effective implementation of the AEO Programme in Nigeria.

She emphasised that Nigeria and South Africa played significant roles in global trade, making the partnership crucial.

“The WCO Safe Framework of Standards, Pillar 1 (Customs-to-Customs) and Pillar 2 (Customs-to-Business) encourage partnerships between customs authorities and traders,” Bologo said.

While welcoming the NCS AEO Technical Working Group, Huawei Technology South Africa called for continued support from SARS and the NCS in facilitating global trade through enhanced customs compliance mechanisms and greater participation in the AEO Programme.

The Customs Compliance Officer at Huawei Nigeria, Austin Ijeh, expressed gratitude to the NCS for its leadership in promoting the ease of doing business in the country.

He also commended the NCS for the ongoing support Huawei continued to receive in Nigeria.

In their separate remarks, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abdulkareem Musa and Olufemi Kukoyi urged traders to comply with customs regulations, noting that the success of the AEO Programme relied heavily on trader compliance.

They also commended the Comptroller-General of Customs for his efforts in facilitating trade in Nigeria through the AEO and other trade facilitation tools.

The meeting allowed the NCS AEO working group to study how SARS administers AEO benefits to Huawei Technology, which is one of the AEO pilots in Nigeria.