The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has fully automated the process of applying for, managing and renewing trade licences and permits to enhance the ease of doing business and revenue generation.

According to the NCS, the Licence and Permit System (LPS), an online platform, is designed to simplify and standardise the process and eradicate the longstanding bottlenecks that have characterised the manual processing of trade licences and permits, leading to loss of revenue for the government and businesses.

Speaking yesterday at the zonal sensitisation programme of stakeholders on the automation of licences and permits processes held in Lagos, the Zonal Coordinator of Zone A, Mohammed Babandede, said for many years, stakeholders have had to deal with paperwork, long queues and the uncertainty that comes with manual processing.

He said under the new system, importers, shippers, exporters, clearing agents and freight forwarders will no longer need to travel to Customs offices or the headquarters in Abuja to apply for or renew licences and permits, as the entire process will be completed digitally from any location in real time.

He said the automation is a direct response to the long-standing need to make the processes faster, more transparent and easier for the stakeholders.

According to Babandede, the process automation will ensure applications are processed faster and enable stakeholders to track the status of their application in real time, in fairness, consistency and without the risk of error that comes with manual records.

He said the sensitisation exercise, being held across all Zones, commenced with Lagos, which handles an enormous volume of trade that passes through Zone A, to ensure every stakeholder understands the new automated system before it is implemented.

Also speaking, the Comptroller of Customs, License and Permit Unit, Tariff and Trade Department, Dr Ngozika Anozie, explained that automation of licenses and permits is critical in ensuring the ease of doing business in the maritime sector and would translate into a boost in the generation of the much-needed revenue for Customs and the Federal Government.