Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says revenue generated from the Kano Free Trade Zone has risen to about 40 billion naira since January 2026, reflecting a steady increase in collections from manufacturers, traders and warehousing operators within the zone.
The Deputy Comptroller of Customs at the Kano Free Trade Zone, Isah Bala, disclosed this during a media tour of the facility in Kano State.
He said the revenue figure was monitored through a live dashboard that is refreshed every 15 minutes.
According to him, the figure had risen from 39 billion naira to 40 billion naira during the media engagement as additional duty payments were made.
“Congratulations, you were here when it turned into 40 billion. It was 39 when you came in. So you can see it just updated because there have been payments made,” he said.
Bala explained that the customs operation within the free trade zone is guided by three major principles: compliance, trade facilitation and accountability.
“The rules of customs are around compliance, trade facilitation and accountability”, he said, stressing that balancing trade facilitation with strict compliance requires specific strategies.
According to him, Customs focuses particularly on raw materials brought into the zone by manufacturing companies, monitoring their processing and ensuring that products leaving the zone comply with applicable rules and regulations.
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He explained that enterprises operating in the free zone enjoy incentives that allow them to import raw materials, process them into finished products and export the goods.
However, he said, where goods or processed products enter Nigeria’s customs territory, applicable duties are collected in accordance with the rules governing free zone operations.
“When it comes to custom payment of duty, they pay on those raw materials that came into the free trade zone”, he said.
Bala said the revenue collected from the Kano Free Trade Zone is paid directly into the Federation Account, and that Customs recorded about 167 million naira in duty collection on the day of the media tour.
“Monthly revenue figures showed a steady upward trajectory from January, February and March”, describing the trend “as evidence of improving economic activities and revenue performance within the zone,” he said.
The Deputy Comptroller attributed the improvement not only to Customs operations but also to the close working relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority.
Also the Assistant Comptroller of Nigeria Immigration Service, Aminu Mohammed, disclosed that the Service has simplified the process for expatriates employed by companies operating in free trade zones, allowing qualified foreign workers to obtain residence permits before entering Nigeria.
He said the measure was designed to facilitate investment and accelerate industrial development.
“Once he’s employed by a company, he can be registered and can be issued a residence permit directly before he even enters Nigeria. Immediately he enters Nigeria, work has started”, he said.
Mohammed said immigration procedures within free trade zones differ from those applicable outside the zones, particularly regarding expatriate quotas.
He explained that while companies outside free zones rely on expatriate quotas to bring foreign workers into Nigeria, businesses operating within free zones use their operational licences for the process.
The Assistant Comptroller attributed the improved process to ongoing reforms by the Nigerian Government, particularly the digitisation of immigration services by the Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
