Opening Nigeria’s Borders to Renewable Energy
By Abdulsalam Mahmud
The world is swiftly moving away from the tyranny of fossil fuels. Across continents, the wind of clean energy is gathering momentum, stirring up revolutions in policy, industry and the very architecture of national economies.
From the deserts of North Africa to the icy tips of Scandinavia, countries are reimagining the future through the lens of renewables. Solar panels now glisten like diamonds atop rural homes. Wind turbines hum steadily across dry plains once known only for dust.
Hydropower stations murmur with the quiet confidence of rivers redirected to give light. The age of energy independence has arrived, not on the back of oil barrels, but on the wings of sunlight and the rhythm of wind.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and its most populous nation, cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. Yet, this nation of brilliant sunlight and immense natural endowments remains strangely tethered to darkness.
The grid fails more than it works. Generators growl endlessly in neighbourhoods where dreams ought to be louder than diesel fumes. Millions are locked out of opportunity, not for lack of ambition but for lack of electricity.
Hospitals stall in emergencies. Schools rely on candlelight. Small businesses close before dusk. To call this a crisis is an understatement. To keep ignoring it is a betrayal. Renewable energy, therefore, is not just a technical solution. It is a moral and economic imperative.
But the road to transformation is paved with more than good intentions. In many ways, Nigeria’s borders remain unfriendly to the flow of clean energy technologies. Bureaucracy stifles innovation. Tariffs frustrate access.
And where clarity is most needed, confusion reigns. Investors and importers are often caught in a fog of procedures and policies that seem indifferent to the urgency of Nigeria’s energy dilemma.
For a country seeking to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, it is no longer acceptable to treat renewable energy equipment like miscellaneous cargo. A nation cannot claim to embrace a green future while its ports and policies choke the passage of green technology.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope emerging from within the very institution that guards our trade gateways. In recent times, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun to reimagine its role beyond revenue collection.
It is beginning to see itself as a facilitator of development, a critical partner in Nigeria’s march toward sustainability. It is no longer just about what enters and exits our borders. It is about whether what enters can light up lives, power businesses and preserve the planet.
The recent gathering of stakeholders at the Nigeria Customs’ 2025 Trade Facilitation Stakeholder Consultative Forum marked a crucial turning point in that reimagination. Held in Lagos and themed, “Trade Facilitation Measures for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technologies”, the forum pulsed with urgency, hope and responsibility.
Here was a national institution, traditionally associated with duty collection and enforcement, now pledging to open its arms to the possibilities of a cleaner energy future. In the room were not just officials, but also development partners, industry leaders and policy actors, all bound by the shared belief that Customs could become a gateway to light, not a roadblock.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, was Deputy Comptroller-General Caroline Niagwan, who stood before the forum not merely as a bureaucrat, but as a messenger of change. Her message was clear and refreshing: that Customs must move beyond gatekeeping into facilitation.
She spoke of the growing volume of international trade, the imperative for seamless flow of legitimate goods and the urgent need to position Nigeria’s small and medium-sized enterprises to benefit from the global energy transition. It was more than a policy speech.
It was a bold statement of institutional realignment—one that aligns Customs operations with Nigeria’s environmental ambitions and economic growth. DCG Niagwan also highlighted the systems now reshaping the service’s internal architecture.
From the Unified Customs Management System—codenamed B’Odogwu—to the Advance Ruling System and the Authorised Economic Operator programme, Customs is planting the seeds of transparency, predictability and digital efficiency. These reforms are no longer abstract.
They are designed to ensure that renewable energy technologies, often delicate and cost-sensitive, do not perish at the altar of confusion and outdated clearance procedures. The NCS’ embrace of the Green Customs Initiative and alignment with global frameworks like the Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement further anchors its newfound role as an enabler of climate solutions.
To commemorate one year since the Advance Ruling Programme was formally adopted, the Service launched a dedicated “Handbook on Import and Export Procedures for Renewable Energy and Energy-Efficient Technologies”. This is not just another manual for shelves and offices. It is a signpost for investors, entrepreneurs and innovators who need guidance, not gridlock.
It reflects a vision where Customs transforms from a silent gate into an open bridge—where rules are clear, procedures are friendly and renewable energy no longer lingers at our ports, suffocated by ambiguity. The event also echoed with voices beyond Customs.
Duke Benjamin, who represented Markus Wagner, Country Director for Nigeria and ECOWAS at GIZ, gave a message that resonated like a bell of affirmation. He acknowledged the strategic foresight of the Nigeria Customs and noted that the renewed attention to renewable energy trade could not have come at a better time.
For a country grappling with unreliable power supply and inflation driven by fossil fuel dependence, embracing clean energy technologies is not only progressive—it is redemptive. As he put it, every layer of reform within the Service brings Nigeria closer to becoming a desirable destination for climate-conscious investors and innovators.
Amid the policy speeches and technical briefings, one voice that stood out with refreshing clarity was that of Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service. In his presentation titled, “The Role of Communication Strategy as a Veritable Tool to Deepen Trade Facilitation”, he reminded the audience that behind every good policy is a story that needs to be told with conviction and clarity.
He spoke of communication not as ornament, but as engine. In his words, it is what enhances institutional credibility, drives trade, supports sustainability and fortifies national energy security. This understanding positions the NCS not only as a facilitator of goods, but as a facilitator of trust and truth.
As the forum drew to a close, one thing became unmissable. The conversation about renewable energy had moved from the margins to the centre. The presence of stakeholders, the unveiling of technical handbooks, the emphasis on multilateral environmental obligations—all pointed to a Nigeria Customs that is reimagining its role in the climate age.
Far from being the gatekeeper of red tape, the Nigeria Customs is learning to be the doorkeeper of opportunity. And in a world where policy inertia can sabotage even the noblest of intentions, this shift in orientation is as valuable as the technologies it now seeks to welcome. But this is not the end of the story.
It is merely the opening of a long-needed chapter. One where institutions, markets and visionaries come together to chart a path toward energy justice. One where solar panels are no longer stuck in shipping containers, and wind turbines are not stalled by confusion over tariff codes.
One where Nigeria’s transition to a low-carbon economy is not an elusive dream whispered at international summits, but a lived reality, powered in part by the very agency once seen as a bottleneck. The gates are opening. The energy is rising. Now is the time to let it flow.
Mahmud, Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, can be reached at: [email protected].
