Liberia, Nigeria Deepen Customs Cooperation

By Amos Harris

Liberia has renewed its call for stronger professional cooperation, improved trade facilitation, and greater efficiency across Africa’s customs and port sectors during the 72nd anniversary celebration of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos.

Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of Liberia, Hon. James L. Hinneh Jr., President of the National Customs Brokers Association of Liberia (NCBAL), emphasized the vital role customs professionals play in driving legitimate trade and accelerating regional economic integration.

Congratulating ANLCA on reaching its 72-year milestone, Hinneh described the achievement as a testament to the association’s resilience and sustained impact on Nigeria’s customs brokerage and maritime trade landscape. He observed that as African economies become increasingly interconnected, customs brokers, freight forwarders, importers, and exporters face growing expectations to ensure the seamless movement of goods across borders.

Hinneh stressed that customs brokers must no longer be viewed strictly as documentation clerks processing import and export paperwork, but as essential catalysts linking governments, private enterprises, port operators, and global markets.

“Behind every container is a business. Behind every business is a family. Behind every efficient supply chain is an opportunity. If we make legitimate trade move better, we help opportunity move faster,” Hinneh said.

Addressing the evolving global trade environment, the NCBAL President underscored the critical need for digital transformation, heightened transparency, high professional standards, and predictable regulatory procedures. He noted that embedding these principles into daily port operations is key to minimizing delays, optimizing service delivery, and fostering a business-friendly economic environment.

To translate regional goodwill into measurable outcomes, Hinneh proposed a structured institutional partnership between NCBAL and ANLCA centered on cross-border technical training, professional exchanges, mentorship, knowledge sharing, and joint digital innovation initiatives. Such collaboration, he noted, would equip practitioners in both nations with practical tools to resolve shared industry challenges.

He further tied modern customs practices to Africa’s broader economic unification goals, highlighting that efficient ports and transparent border agencies directly benefit domestic businesses, lower costs for consumers, and boost government revenues—outcomes especially vital for Liberia’s trade-reliant and maritime-driven economy.

Concluding his remarks, Hinneh reaffirmed NCBAL’s commitment to building lasting professional networks across Africa that prioritize accountability, modern logistics technology, and competitive commercial practices to drive continent-wide growth.

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