The World Customs Organization (WCO) has praised Nigeria’s recently completed Time Release Study (TRS) as a significant achievement in advancing safer, more efficient trade across Africa’s borders, according to a joint statement by Nigerian customs authorities and international partners. (globalfreightnews.com.ng)
The TRS — a globally recognised diagnostic tool developed by the WCO to measure the average time taken to release goods from customs control — provides actionable insights into procedural bottlenecks, compliance performance, and cross-border trade efficiency. Nigeria’s successful execution of the study marks a major milestone in efforts to improve transparency, reduce clearance delays, and align national trade procedures with international best practices. (globalfreightnews.com.ng)
WCO representatives emphasized that the Nigerian TRS results will be benchmarked against regional and global standards, enabling strategic reforms within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and across key port and border points. The exercise is expected to catalyse improvements in risk management, cargo processing times, documentation workflows, and inter-agency coordination. (globalfreightnews.com.ng)
Officials highlighted that the TRS will support Nigeria’s transition toward a more integrated trade facilitation framework, particularly as the country intensifies efforts to fully operationalise the National Single Window and simplify customs procedures. By quantifying clearance timelines and identifying major delays in real time, the study creates a data-driven basis for policy-level decisions that can reduce non-tariff barriers and strengthen compliance incentives. (globalfreightnews.com.ng)
The WCO’s endorsement of Nigeria’s TRS underscores the importance of evidence-based performance measurement in driving reforms that enhance trade competitiveness, economic growth, and regional integration across Africa. (globalfreightnews.com.ng)
January 28, 2026 — Source: Global Freight News / Daily Trust / WCO