By Matthew Denis
The Comptroller-General of Customs and Chairperson of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council, Adewale Adeniyi, delivered the keynote address at the opening of the 46th Session of the WCO Enforcement Committee in Brussels, Belgium.
The session marked the first time in the Committee’s 43-year history that its opening was jointly addressed by both the WCO Secretary-General, Ian Saunders, and the Council Chairperson, highlighting the growing strategic importance of the Enforcement Committee and positioning the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the centre of global Customs cooperation.
The session signalled a shift from a primarily enforcement-focused platform to a policy-driven body tackling contemporary challenges, including detection technologies, intelligence sharing, supply chain integrity, and trade-based money laundering.
The ongoing review of the Committee’s Terms of Reference, last updated in 2009, aims to align governance with the complexities of global trade.
Adeniyi commended Customs administrations worldwide for combating transnational organised crime, emphasising the evolving nature of threats and the need for coordinated, intelligence-led approaches.
“Customs enforcement today is no longer about isolated seizures, it is about protecting the integrity of global trade,” he said.
The NCS is expected to share field-level perspectives on fragile border management, drawing on its operational experience as a frontline administration in one of Africa’s most demanding border environments, providing insights to strengthen global enforcement policies.
Adeniyi concluded by calling for deeper collaboration among Customs administrations, noting that “when Customs administrations work together, enforcement becomes stronger, trade becomes safer, and the global economy becomes more resilient.”
Delegates also witnessed a live demonstration of drone technology by the Netherlands Customs team, illustrating the expanding role of unmanned systems in modern border surveillance.