The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has partnered the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) to launch a centre for international trade and investment named the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi in Lagos.
taken a significant step towards enhancing the country’s trade and investment landscape with the launch of the Bashir Adeniyi Centre for International Trade and Investment.
According to a Customs statement on Sunday, the Bashir Adeniyi Centre for International Trade and Investment inaugurated on Thursday will serve as “a finishing school” for senior customs officers.
The statement quoted the Customs CG as saying that the establishment of the centre came at an opportune time as Nigeria was 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,” Adeniyi was quoted in the statement.
The statement also quoted the Director General of NIIA, Professor Eghosa Osaghae saying: “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.”
The event featured a panel discussion with eminent Nigerians, including Donald Duke and Dr Chinyere Almona, examining the challenges and solutions for Nigeria’s economy regarding trade and investment.
Speaking to reporters about the benefits of the centre, the CGC emphasised its importance, saying, “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.”
The CGC officially unveiled the centre and toured the facility.
