Nigeria, UK Sign Customs Deal to Tackle £1.2bn Trade Gap

On March 18, 2026, during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's state visit to the United Kingdom, Nigeria and the UK signed a customs cooperation deal aimed at addressing a significant trade imbalance of £1.2 billion. The agreement, led by Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller General Bashir Adewal Adeniyi and UK HM Revenue and Customs head Megan Shaw, focuses on enhancing transparency and digitizing border management to facilitate trade.

The deal acknowledges discrepancies in bilateral trade statistics and aims to establish a structured pre-arrival data exchange framework. This initiative is expected to improve risk management processes and compliance monitoring.

The Nigeria Customs Service reported that approximately £504 million worth of goods were imported from the UK in 2024, while exports to the UK were valued at approximately £1.7 billion. The cooperation is part of Nigeria's broader modernization agenda to plug revenue leakages and curb trade misinvoicing, ensuring a transparent and secure trading environment.