The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and the Ethiopian Embassy in Nigeria are exploring closer cooperation on climate action and environmental protection as Customs authorities expand their role beyond revenue collection, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations.
The discussions took place during a visit by a delegation from the Ethiopian Embassy to the NCS headquarters in Abuja, with both sides considering collaboration in tree planting, environmental awareness and broader sustainability programmes.
The engagement, held on September 4, brought together initiatives already being pursued by Customs and Ethiopia’s extensive experience with large-scale tree planting and environmental restoration.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said modern Customs administrations increasingly have responsibilities extending beyond their traditional revenue and border-security functions.
According to him, those responsibilities now include environmental protection and safeguarding endangered species.
“Environmental sustainability is no longer outside the responsibilities of Customs. As a Service, we must continue to support initiatives that protect our environment and contribute to a sustainable future,” Adeniyi said.
Customs Expands Environmental Role
Customs agencies occupy a strategically important position in environmental protection because borders are also points through which wildlife products, timber and other environmentally sensitive goods can move.
The Nigerian Customs Service has increasingly incorporated environmental enforcement into its broader border-security operations, alongside its responsibilities for revenue collection and legitimate trade.
Adeniyi said partnerships would remain important as the Service responds to those emerging responsibilities.
The development also comes as modern Customs administrations are being encouraged to balance trade facilitation with wider responsibilities for protecting society. The World Customs Organization’s 2026 International Customs Day theme, for instance, emphasises Customs’ role in protecting society through vigilance and commitment.
COWA Targets 35,000 Trees
A major element of the Nigerian initiative is being driven by the Customs Officers Wives Association, COWA.
Its President, Kikelomo Adeniyi, disclosed that the association had already planted 14,822 trees across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and border communities within eight months.
COWA plans to expand the campaign with a 35,000-tree initiative, beginning in September.
The programme is expected to target approximately 1,000 trees in each state.
The association is pursuing the programme under its Green Border Sustainability Initiative.
According to Adeniyi, the initiative is intended to go beyond planting trees by promoting environmental awareness, educating communities and encouraging more responsible environmental behaviour.
“Our Green Border Sustainability Initiative is about more than planting trees; it is about creating awareness, educating our communities and building a culture of environmental responsibility,” she said.
The initiative could give Customs an additional platform for engaging communities in border areas where environmental degradation and illicit trade in natural resources can intersect.
Ethiopia Offers Experience From Green Legacy Initiative
Ethiopia’s participation brings experience from one of Africa’s largest tree-planting campaigns.
Representing Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria Legesse Haile, Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs Misgna Abrha said Addis Ababa was prepared to share its environmental-protection and climate-action experience with Nigeria and other African countries.
Abrha said Ethiopia had planted 48 billion seedlings over eight years through its Green Legacy Initiative.
He also highlighted the Plant Africa initiative as another platform capable of strengthening environmental cooperation across the continent and increasing the involvement of African youths in climate action.
The discussions therefore have the potential to move beyond a bilateral Customs initiative and feed into wider African cooperation on environmental restoration.
University of Abuja Among Proposed Locations
The Nigerian and Ethiopian representatives also discussed possible practical projects.
Proposals include tree-planting exercises at the University of Abuja and other locations across the Federal Capital Territory.
The engagement additionally considered cooperation involving the Ethiopian Embassy and the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
While the discussions are still exploratory and no comprehensive bilateral climate agreement was announced, they provide a foundation for joint projects if the proposals progress.
Border Security Meets Environmental Protection
The emerging partnership also reflects how Customs operations are changing.
Illegal wildlife trafficking, movement of protected species, unlawful timber trade and other environmental offences increasingly require cooperation between Customs administrations and domestic and international agencies.
Nigeria has already demonstrated the potential of cross-border Customs partnerships in other areas.
In July, Nigerian and Beninese Customs authorities completed an eight-day joint operation supported by the World Customs Organization and Japan International Cooperation Agency, using geospatial intelligence to identify enforcement hotspots along the Benin-Nigeria border. The operation resulted in 37 seizures involving narcotics, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products and consumer goods.
The proposed Ethiopian partnership takes that international-cooperation model into a different area—climate and environmental sustainability.
For the Nigeria Customs Service, the challenge will be translating the discussions and tree-planting targets into measurable, sustained environmental outcomes while maintaining its core responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.
If implemented effectively, the collaboration could also provide a model for how African public institutions can share expertise in tackling environmental degradation and building climate resilience.
