Customs TMP To Deploy 67 Scanners To Seaports, Land Borders

To facilitate trade across the nation’s seaports, the Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) has disclosed plans to deploy 67 states-of -the art cargo scanners into the nation’s seaport and land bo

LEADERSHIP reports that the TMP is to digitise the entire Customs operations at the ports and make duty collections seamless through the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS).

The project, which has three phases, is a 20-year concession agreement, expected to ease export and import clearances in paying duties and obtaining releases of goods.

It was, however, signed on May 27, 2023 between the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by NCS Board, and the TMP.

However, the general manager of TMP Limited, Ahmed Ogunsola, said the deployment will streamline cargo inspections, reduce delays, and enhance transparency in the seaports.

The newly deployed infrastructure will also support comprehensive geospatial services for border management and enforcement, bolstering national security, Ogunsola said in a statement yesterday.

“Moreover, the project includes the development of a Trade Portal, facilitating seamless interaction between traders and government agencies, and the integration of 67 state-of-the-art cargo scanners. These innovations will streamline cargo inspections, reduce delays, and enhance transparency,” the statement said on the scanners.

Speaking further, Ogunsola, highlighted ongoing collaboration with NCS to achieve outlined milestones, including the development and deployment of a new Customs management system.

Ogunshola said that the system’s software, described as the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), has seven layers of security designed to withstand cyber attacks.

“As part of this commitment, funds have been allocated to cover pre-development expenses, the creation of a new Customs platform, procurement of new scanners, initiation of geospatial activities, upgrade of aging network infrastructure, and establishment of a fully integrated Project Management Office (PMO), inaugurated by the Comptroller-General of Customs on June 1, 2023.

“Additionally, construction is underway for a Tier 3 Data Centre cum Risk Control and Command Centre (RCC) at the new NCS headquarters, positioning it as one of the leading customs facilities in Africa.

“These initiatives align with the asset transfer process from NCS to TMP. TMP anticipates the transfer of additional assets, including aging network infrastructure, the legacy Customs system, and other physical assets, as outlined in the project’s scope and provisions.”

Ogunshola further stated that the entirety of the concession involved significant investment.

“The total projected expenditure for the project across the 20-year concession period is approximately $3.2 billion, encompassing both Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expenditure (OPEX).

“Each of the three phases, spanning the entirety of the concession, involves significant investment. Phase one involves a CAPEX investment of about $300 million, while phase two and three require investments of $465.4 million and $435.8 million respectively.

“The CAPEX of $1.2 billion for each deployment phase includes hardware, Customs application, equipment, application implementation services, technology infrastructure, Marine Deployment, and Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) costs. The estimated OPEX for the concession period amounts to $1.896 billion, covering fixed and variable costs, expenses, and charges associated with the day-to-day operations of the NCS platform,” Ogunsola stated.