Nigeria to deploy Abuja airport cargo scanners to ease $8bn market bottleneck
The Nigeria Customs Service is preparing to launch non-intrusive cargo scanners at Abuja's main airport, a move that could significantly lower logistics costs in the country's $8 billion air freight market.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is preparing to deploy non-intrusive cargo scanners at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, pending final regulatory approval. The installation of CX180 180DH pallet scanners at SAHCO and NAHCO warehouses marks a shift away from time-consuming physical cargo examinations.
For businesses operating in Nigeria’s $8 billion air freight logistics market, the technology targets a critical operational bottleneck. Physical inspections, overlapping regulatory agencies and limited technology integration have long slowed cargo movement across the country's major hubs, inflating logistics costs.
Officers completed specialized image analysis training last month to prepare for the transition. Acting Comptroller Umar Madugu conducted a comprehensive readiness assessment of the facilities alongside representatives of the Trade Modernization Project Limited and the Quality Assurance Unit. To prevent new bottlenecks around the scanning zones, the NCS plans to install CCTV cameras and deploy traffic assessment officers to manage the flow of inbound and outbound freight.
The Abuja deployment is the latest step in a broader technology-driven modernization effort that is already yielding significant financial results for the government. The customs service collected a record N7.281 trillion in revenue in 2025, followed by N3.35 trillion in the first five months of 2026 alone. During that same period, the agency processed nearly 700,000 import declarations, issued over 112,000 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports, and facilitated $1.218 billion in exports through 21,376 containers. Import Duty Exemption Certificate approvals reached N34 trillion in 2025, with roughly 60 per cent of these waivers granted for military hardware procurement.
Industry executives have directly linked improved technology to broader sector growth. “Airport cargo processing is the biggest operational bottleneck to the sector’s growth,” said Faisal Jarmakani, Managing Director of Aramex Nigeria. He noted that deeper digitisation and better agency integration are required to reduce processing delays and support reliable air freight operations.
