Spanish investors frustrated by clearing at Nigerian ports

The Spanish Government has urged the Nigerian Customs Service to address long-winded process of clearing goods from Nigerian ports, as it is a source of discouragement to Spaniards willing to invest in the Nigerian economy.

Mr Pablo Segrelles, the chief economic and commercial counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria challenged the Customs to evolve measures that would ensure transparency and speedy clearing of goods at the ports.

“The Nigerian Customs should urgently begin to adopt flexibility and transparency in the clearing of Spanish products coming into Nigeria through the ports,” he said.
“Spanish exporters to Nigeria are complaining of delays in the clearing of their products at the ports by the customs. We, therefore, think that the Nigerian customs and other relevant government agencies should do something urgent about this problem.

“A lot of Spanish companies exporting their products to Nigeria are by the day getting discouraged with the present clearing system.”

The envoy noted that the delay always results to payment of high demurrage for Spanish goods coming into Nigeria, which means Spanish exporters have been forced to shift exporting expenses to their Nigerian importers.

He said until drastic steps are taken to address the situation, the process would continue to have negative impact on Nigerian importers.

Segrelles noted that the situation had forced some Nigerian importers to be look elsewhere for their means of livelihood.

“Many Spanish investors and companies are interested in doing business in Nigeria, but they are being discouraged by the problem of implementation of the Nigerian government’s policies at the ports.”