The World Customs Organisation (WCO) has held its 74th Harmonised System Committee meeting in Brussels, with Nigeria’s pivotal position in international trade highlighted at various sessions of the meeting.
The climax of the meeting saw Nigeria Customs’ Lauretta Utubor making a presentation at the Leadership Management Development workshop on Friday, 20 September 2024.
During her presentation, Utubor, a chief supreterdent of Customs and Team Lead, Advance Rulings in Nigeria, underscored the country’s dedication to adopting global best practices and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi’s commitment to promotion of trade facilitation and customs modernisation.
Utubor who had trained at the WCO 88th fellowship programme, emphasised the role of essential tools in the trade system. According to her such tools include self-awareness, strategic communication, political will, intentionality, people management, and change management played towards the successful implementation of Advance Rulings in Nigeria.
The HSC plays a crucial role in managing the Harmonised System Nomenclature (HSN), which serves as a vital tool for facilitating global trade by providing a standardised system for the classification of goods.
As a Contracting Party, Nigeria’s participation in the HSC is pivotal considering the nation’s large market index in Africa leading to high volumes of imports from across the globe. The impact of these policies, particularly on customs formalities, has far-reaching economic consequences, making Nigeria’s contributions to such discussions critical.
The HSC focuses primarily on the tariff classification of goods, ensuring that products are correctly categorised under the Harmonised System Nomenclature. This involves detailed discussions on goods descriptions and the appropriate tariff codes or headings that align with legal provisions and explanatory notes. The HSC ensures that global trade remains efficient, transparent, and standardised through this process.
CSC Lauretta Utubor making a presentation at the Harmonised System Committee meeting of the World Customs Organisation in Brussels
Additionally, the opportunity to raise tariff classification issues that may have caused prolonged disputes between customs and economic operators allows for an objective resolution aided by input from other Contracting Parties.
The Nigeria Customs Service delegates were led by Assistant Comptroller Abubakar Hardo, with Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) Ekay Asuquo also participating at the WTO HSC meeting, which was held from 16 to 27 September 2024, at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
This high-level engagement with technical experts from customs administrations worldwide enables Nigeria to enhance its decision-making capacity when issuing legally binding advice to economic operators. Furthermore, the insights gained from the 74th HSC meeting are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s customs processes and contribute to the nation’s continued leadership in trade facilitation on the African continent.
