Nigeria Customs launches Authorized Economic Operator Program, to open registration portal for companies

The Comptroller General of Customs, CGC, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has presented Authorized Economic Operator, AEO, certificate to the six pioneer companies, commending their integrity and commitment.

CGC Adeniyi while speaking during the launching ceremony of Authorized Economic Operator, AEO, Programme at the Lagos Continental Hotel on Tuesday, said its a significant step towards trade facilitation. He said the AEO program registration portal will now be opened for other eligible companies from February 17, 2025.

“We actually started with 12 potential companies, but along the line, we had to focus on these six,” Adeniyi stated. He expressed confidence that the remaining companies would soon achieve AEO status.

These companies are:

• We Look Nigeria Limited: Owned by Mrs. Chinwe Ezenwa, a leading bag manufacturer in Africa.

• FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC: A dairy product company, producing Three Crowns Milk.

• 11PLC (formerly Mobil Oil Nig. Plc) an indigenous company supplying lubricants.

• First Class Refreshment Ltd: A company packaging and exporting Nigerian snacks like Kilishi.

• Huawei Technology Company Nigeria Limited: A technology provider operating in Nigeria since 1999.

• Ideal Royal Crown Logistics Limited: A logistics company providing end-to-end solution.

Comptroller Adeniyi said that the remarkable success of the pilot phase, noting that the six participating companies saw their collective trade value increase from N185.8 billion in 2023 to N563.8 billion in 2024.

Their contribution to customs revenue also grew significantly, reaching N51.1 billion in 2024, contributing to the overall revenue growth from N3.2 trillion in 2023 to N6.1 trillion in 2024.

The CGC emphasized the program’s impact on operational efficiency, stating that the average cargo release time for AEO-certified companies during the pilot phase was 43 hours, surpassing the target of 48 hours and representing a 66.9% reduction compared to the pre-AEO period.

He said “The true measure of this partnership’s success is beyond the metrics, it is in the quality of relationships we are building,” Adeniyi said. “We are not just working with compliant companies; we are partnering with organizations that uphold the highest standards of business ethics.

The CGC emphasized that the AEO program aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030 and complements the President’s 8-Point Agenda.

He said its potentia isl to support food security, economic growth, job creation, access to capital, and anti-corruption efforts. “Nigeria is positioning itself as a reliable, predictable, and competitive trading partner,”

The Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Charles Odii said that the programme has potential to benefit SMEs, and also reduce bottlenecks and improve their return on investment.

Odi stated that “Almost immediately, our small business owners would get return on investment because AEO is now in operations today.”

He highlighted the participation of Lelook Nigeria Limited, a 74-year-old SME owner, and First Class Refreshment Ltd, as examples of how the program can empower small businesses

“It’s a new day in Nigeria with the launch of the Single Window Initiative, with the launch of AEO, and with the reforms and policies that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is putting in Nigeria today.” Odii added.

The President of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA,, Dele Kelvin Oye said that the organized private sector has the capacity to generate the needed revenue for 2025 if given the right environment.

“The organised private sector represents 97% of the economy, if you tell us to cover the N13trillion in this year’s budget , it would be through productivity, we cannot borrow ourselves out or increase taxes, but if you want us to, we have the capacity to do it.”