SEREC Commends Customs’ New SOP for Courier Operations

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC) have lauded the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for introducing a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to regulate courier companies operating under the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) Incoterm.

In a policy position paper released on Tuesday, SEREC described the SOP as a strategic reform that closes regulatory loopholes, strengthens revenue assurance, and aligns Nigeria’s courier and e-commerce logistics sector with international best practices. The initiative is anchored on the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and global trade frameworks including ICC Incoterms 2020, the WCO SAFE Framework, the Revised Kyoto Convention, and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

According to the paper, the SOP mandates courier firms to act as declarants, file Single Goods Declarations (SGDs), submit advance electronic manifests, and ensure full duty payment prior to clearance. These measures, SEREC noted, will enhance accountability, safeguard government revenue, and support risk-based compliance management.

While commending the reform, SEREC cautioned that effective implementation must be pragmatic and inclusive. The paper highlighted potential risks such as limited compliance capacity among courier operators, centralised licensing bottlenecks, rigid application of the 24-hour advance manifest rule, and valuation disputes inherent in DDP transactions.

To mitigate these challenges, SEREC recommended a phased rollout, mandatory certification of compliance officers, decentralised pre-vetting of applications, tiered enforcement based on shipment risk, and the establishment of a specialised valuation review desk. It also urged Customs to strengthen technology readiness and foster stakeholder co-regulation through a DDP Courier Compliance Forum.

Concluding, SEREC affirmed its support for the SOP, describing it as “a necessary and overdue reform aimed at restoring integrity, accountability, and transparency within Nigeria’s courier and express logistics sector.” The paper stressed that a consultative and intelligence-driven approach would ensure the reform balances revenue protection with trade facilitation, market inclusiveness, and economic sustainability.

The position paper prepared by Fwdr Eugene Nweke, Head of Research at SEREC, serves as contribution to national trade facilitation and customs reform discourse.