Efforts at South-East trade facilitation have gained momentum as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, implements reforms aimed at reducing logistics bottlenecks and improving business efficiency across the region. The initiatives, centred on port decentralisation and inland cargo processing, are already reshaping how goods move into major commercial hubs in the South-East.
Since assuming office in June 2023, Adeniyi has pursued reforms aligned with the Federal Government’s economic agenda, repositioning Customs from a revenue-focused agency to a trade facilitation institution. The strategy is built on consolidation, collaboration, and innovation, with emphasis on reducing the cost of doing business, improving compliance, and strengthening regional trade integration.
Historically, traders and manufacturers in the South-East relied heavily on seaports in Lagos and Port Harcourt, resulting in long haulage times, high logistics costs, and delays before goods reached final markets. The renewed push for South-East trade facilitation seeks to address these structural challenges by relocating key customs processes closer to where goods are used or sold.
A central component of the reforms is the activation of the Onitsha River Port as a functional cargo destination. The port now allows containers to be transported via inland waterways from coastal ports directly into Anambra State, where full customs clearance procedures are conducted.
This shift has significantly shortened supply chains for traders in Onitsha, Nnewi, and Aba, reducing clearance time from weeks of road transit to approximately 48 to 72 hours via barge movement.
In addition, the Customs Service has expanded the licensing of bonded warehouses and inland terminals across Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Imo states. These facilities allow importers to store goods and complete clearance processes closer to their operational bases.
According to trade expert Okey Ibeke, the reforms have reduced demurrage, lowered transportation risks, and improved access to imported inputs for manufacturers and traders. He noted that businesses in key industrial clusters such as Aba’s garment sector and Nnewi’s manufacturing base are already benefiting from faster turnaround times and reduced logistics costs.
The South-East trade facilitation initiative is expected to strengthen regional commerce by lowering operational costs and improving supply chain efficiency. It also positions the region as an active node in Nigeria’s import-export network rather than a consumption endpoint, with potential benefits for industrial production and export activities.
The reforms are generating broader economic effects, including job creation in logistics, finance, and support services around newly activated trade corridors. However, stakeholders note that sustained impact will depend on addressing operational constraints such as river dredging, barge availability, and road infrastructure around inland ports.
