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Nigeria has taken a bold step toward modernising its customs processes with the official go-live of the B’Odogwu software at Apapa and Tin Can Ports – two of West Africa’s busiest trade gateways. This milestone is part of a broader digital transformation led by Nigerian Customs in collaboration with cbxp, aimed at streamlining border operations, increasing transparency and cutting clearance delays.

A new standard for digital customs

The B’Odogwu system is an intelligent customs processing platform developed to digitise and automate routine procedures at Nigeria’s seaports. With its implementation at Apapa and Tin Can, more than 60% of Nigeria’s containerised imports are now managed through a secure, rules-driven environment designed to eliminate bottlenecks and reduce human error.

The rollout includes:

• Automated entry and declaration validation

• Real-time status updates for importers and agents

• Enhanced risk profiling to focus on non-compliant shipments

• Seamless integration with ASYCUDA and other customs systems

The system also supports direct messaging with brokers, automated HS code validation, and pre-clearance documentation uploads – removing much of the back-and-forth that has historically slowed down customs clearance.

Why its transformational

Apapa and Tin Can Island handle a combined volume of over 1.5 million TEUs annually, making them critical arteries for Nigerian trade. But until now, clearance times have been inconsistent—often taking days or even weeks due to outdated processes and fragmented communications.

With B’Odogwu now operational:

• Average clearance times are expected to fall by 30–50%

• Importers benefit from greater predictability and reduced demurrage

• Brokers and agents can manage documents digitally, from anywhere

• Customs authorities gain new visibility into traffic, trends, and risk profiles

Built for brokers, backed by data

B’Odogwu was designed with direct input from Nigeria’s customs brokers and freight agents. During early pilots, the system was credited with reducing entry errors by 70% and cutting down the time required for inspection clearance by half.

Now at scale in Lagos’s busiest ports, the platform draws on real-time trade data to support targeted enforcement and post-clearance audits. Its dashboard-style interface offers simplicity for users and strategic oversight for port authorities.

A blueprint for the future

The successful implementation at Apapa and Tin Can Island is a proof point for broader adoption across Nigeria and potentially across West Africa. With increasing volumes of trade and rising pressure to digitise, the Nigerian Customs Service is setting an example for how modern tools can drive both efficiency and revenue growth.

cb-xp and our partners are already in talks to expand the software to other key ports and border posts, including Onne, Calabar, and Seme. Additional features – such as machine learning for anomaly detection and mobile accessibility – are also in development.

What’s next?

Over the coming weeks, Nigerian Customs will host onboarding workshops for brokers and agents, supported by video tutorials and real-time help desks. cb-xp will also launch a performance dashboard allowing port authorities and oversight bodies to monitor clearance trends in near real-time.

As Nigeria strengthens its position as a trade hub for Africa, the success of B’Odogwu at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports prove that with the right systems, customs clearance can be faster, smarter, and fairer.

🗞️In the press

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Real-time coordination

Before B’Odogwu, Nigeria’s customs operations – like those in many emerging economies – were hampered by legacy systems, limited automation and fragmented data flows. Payments were delayed, documents were duplicated across platforms, and critical stakeholders like banks, logistics firms and customs officers worked in silos. These inefficiencies didn’t just slow down trade — they cost the economy millions in lost revenue and eroded trust in the system.

Enter B’Odogwu: a fully integrated, end-to-end digital customs platform tailored specifically to Nigeria’s needs. At the heart of its success is integration – not just of technology, but of institutions, workflows and data standards.

25 Banks, 1 platform

One of the clearest demonstrations of B’Odogwu’s integration power is its linkage with over 25 Nigerian financial institutions. Under the previous system, duty payments were often processed manually or delayed due to poor data synchronisation. This created bottlenecks in cargo clearance and introduced opportunities for misreporting or underpayment.

With B’Odogwu, real-time integration with banks allows duties to be paid instantly and confirmed within the platform. This single source of truth means no more cross-checking between systems, no more uncertainty for customs officers or importers, and a significant reduction in clearance times. 

Connecting customs, ports and logistics

B’Odogwu also integrates customs workflows with port authorities, freight handlers, and logistics providers. This connected infrastructure enables better coordination of inspection schedules, automated flagging of high-risk consignments and faster release of low-risk cargo. The platform supports real-time document validation, status updates and audit trails that improve accountability across the board.

This level of inter-agency and inter-sector coordination transforms how trade is done. It shifts customs from a gatekeeping role to a facilitative one – ensuring security and compliance while enabling commerce to flow smoothly.

Trust through transparency

Integration isn’t just about speed – it’s about building trust. When systems operate in silos, the opportunities for corruption, manipulation or simple human error increase. By centralising data, logging every transaction and providing stakeholders with consistent, real-time visibility, B’Odogwu helps eliminate these risks.

For example, valuation discrepancies – a common source of fraud – are now addressed through automated analytics and shared records. Customs officers can instantly compare declared values with historical norms or international databases, with any anomalies are flagged for further review. This proactive risk management helps improve revenue collection and strengthens compliance enforcement.

Lessons for other nations

The message from Nigeria’s experience is clear: integrated systems are the future of customs, and they don’t need to come from off-the-shelf, inflexible vendors. B’Odogwu is a locally owned solution, designed with Nigerian users in mind, but built on global best practices. It proves that with the right partner – like cb-xp – countries can achieve full systems integration without sacrificing sovereignty or transparency.

As more nations seek to modernise their border processes in line with trade agreements like the AfCFTA, Nigeria’s example is a blueprint for success. Integration shouldn’t be treated as a technical afterthought, but as the strategic foundation for digital customs transformation.

To learn how cb-xp can help your country develop and own a future-proof customs system, get in touch.

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This pilot was more than a system test – it was a proof of concept for digital transformation led by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by cb-xp’s expertise in delivering scalable, sovereign customs technology.

Fully bespoke, locally controlled

B’Odogwu – officially known as the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS) – was developed over 12 months by cb-xp in direct collaboration with TMP/NCS. Unlike vendor-controlled platforms, B’Odogwu is fully hosted in Nigeria, giving the NCS total autonomy over its data, infrastructure and future upgrades.

Our team worked hand-in-hand with NCS officials on the ground in Abuja to build a platform that meets local needs while aligning with international standards. This was not just about installing a system – it encompassed knowledge transfer and detailed staff training, to ensure a confident handover of over operational control. This ‘build-and-release’ approach is central to cb-xp’s ethos: we don’t stay to manage – we empower you to lead.

PTML Pilot results

Launched on October 23, 2024, the B’Odogwu pilot at PTML quickly proved its value:

• Over 16,000 declarations processed within four months
• N150 billion in revenue generated during the pilot period
• A record-breaking N44.9 billion collected in November 2024 alone – the highest monthly figure in the command’s history

These results demonstrated the system’s potential, not just for efficient cargo processing, but for significant revenue optimisation.

Financial integration 

As part of the pilot, B’Odogwu was integrated with 25 financial institutions to streamline import duty payments. With real-time payment visibility and adaptable backend configuration, B’Odogwu is better equipped to handle financial bottlenecks and ensure faster cargo release.

A launchpad for nationwide expansion

Following the pilot’s success, the NCS has now begun preparing for full-scale deployment across Nigeria’s busiest ports, including Apapa and Tin Can Island. Pre-launch training sessions and stakeholder engagement events have already begun, paving the way for broader implementation.

At PTML, this pilot was not just a systems test, it was the validation of Nigeria’s capability to run a sovereign customs platform at scale.

To learn how cb-xp can help your country develop and own a future-proof customs system, get in touch.

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