The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it will install Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered at container-clearing points in the nation’s seaports.

The Comptroller-General of the Service (NCS), Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, broke the news yesterday at the opening of a training programme on AI-Revenue Generation, Remittance and Reconciliation for officials of the NCS and other stakeholders, including the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee secretariat in Abuja.

He said that legislators and the other critical stakeholders who provide revenue oversight were included in the training to enhance not just revenue collection but fiscal governance, which he stressed underscored the importance of the initiative and reflected their shared commitment to national development.

His words: “Today marks a significant step in our collective journey towards strengthening transparency, efficiency and accountability in the public revenue management.

Now we have scanners that are AI enabled that can actually lead image analysts to predict the kind of objects that may be considered.

“We are, therefore, delighted about the involvement of AI revenue generation, issue of remittances, and reconciliation for Nigeria Customs Service. We are delighted by the potential and the benefits that technology through AI can give to us. We are also trusting our service providers that they have the capacity to share this knowledge with us. But as stated earlier, revenue generation, remittances, and reconciliation has a long value chain”.

“The Nigerian custom service has consistently played a pivotal role in revenue generation for the Nigerian government. As global trade evolves and the financial system becomes increasingly complex, it is imperative that we embrace innovative technology to enhance our operational effectiveness. Artificial Intelligence is no longer a concept. This is the present day tool that offers unprecedented opportunities to optimize revenue collection, improve remittance activities and ensure discreet reconciliation.

“This training is designed to equip our officers and stakeholders with knowledge tools and strategic insights required to address AI solutions. It promotes data balance to predict intelligence and broader reconciliation systems. AI presents us with the capability to transform how we manage and safeguard public fund.”

Adeniyi described AI as a present-day tool that offers unprecedented opportunities to optimize revenue processes, minimize leakages, improve remittance accuracy and ensure seamless reconciliation, adding, “It is imperative that we embrace an innovative technology to enhance our operational effectiveness. Artificial intelligence is no longer a concept of the future”

In his remarks, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bamidele Salam applauded the Adeniyi-led administration for being pro-innovation and massively increasing revenue collection.

He said, “I must say that in the last three years, the Nigeria Customs Service of all organizations, has actually stood out as one that is reform-minded, that is open to suggestions, and open to innovation.

“Unlike some other Departments of Government that may not have applications beyond our national borders, the Customs Service is a global organization. You are an organization that is replicated in every country of the world. And so we also believe that you have the power of using that organization to promote the national image of Nigeria, to also enhance global diplomacy.

“The only way you can successfully do that is if you improve on your processes and your system and your structure, in a manner that is globally compliant. And I want to commend you, Comptroller General, for the things that you have done in the last three years to raise the bar of the operation of the Nigerian Customs Service.” (The Nation)