The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday hinted on its plans to introduce Electronic Cargo Tracking System in 2019 as part of its initiatives to enhance its operations at various border posts in the country.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), who disclosed this during a joint press conference with his counterpart from Uganda, Mr. Kateshumbwa Dicksons, in Abuja, explained that the Service had started evaluating different scientific proposals on the electronic cargo tracking system.
He expressed the hope that by 2019, the enforcement and use of e-Cargo tracking would commence.
Ali said: “By next year, if the finances are available and we are in agreement with our Technology Service Provider, we will start the electronic cargo tracking system even if we will begin on a small scale.
“Though, we use technology in tracking cargo in some border posts but we must have technology to monitor everything collectively”, he added.
While disclosing that the NCS had reached an agreement with his Ugandan counterpart on how to collaborate and achieve desired results, the comptroller-general explained that NCS had a lot of things in common with Uganda’s Customs and Revenue Authority in terms of driving desired reforms in the service.
He listed the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for positive change in customs as well as developing strategy to manage cross border weapon and strategy to fight corruption as some of the collaborative areas between the two services.
Ali said that the NCS had started collaborating with its Ugandan counterpart to explore the opportunities of e-cargo tracking which had been introduced in Uganda to the fullest.
In his comments, the Commissioner for Customs, Uganda Revenue Authority, strongly advocated the need for Nigeria and Uganda to work together to solve the problems of customs in the two countries.
Dicksons noted that the roles of both customs agencies were the same, hence the need to collaborate to achieve their goals mutually
On modernization, he advised that Nigeria and Uganda must be embrace technology in solving challenges in their customs services.
