Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Mary-Anne Egwunyenga, of Information and Communication Technology/Modernisation of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has been re-elected as Vice Chairperson of the Data Model Project Team of the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
Her re-election was announced during the 74th Data Model Project Team (DMPT) Meeting held at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Egwunyenga, who was first elected to the position in 2023, secured the confidence of the technical body’s members once again, underscoring her growing influence within the global customs data management community.
The WCO Data Model Project Team is responsible for developing and maintaining the WCO Data Model.
This global standard enables customs administrations and border regulatory agencies to harmonise trade data and facilitate seamless information exchange in international trade.
A statement explained that her re-election also reflects the increasing recognition of the technical expertise within the NCS in advancing customs modernisation and digital trade systems.
Speaking shortly after the election, Egwunyenga expressed appreciation to members of the Project Team for the renewed confidence.
“I am deeply honoured by the trust reposed in me by members of the Data Model Project Team. This responsibility provides another opportunity to contribute to the advancement of global data standards that support secure and efficient cross-border trade,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria has consistently aligned its customs operations with evolving global data standards.
“Nigeria began implementing the WCO Data Model in 2013 with Versions 3.3 and 3.4. With the introduction of B’Odogwu, the Nigeria Customs Service has now migrated to the more advanced WCO Data Model Version 4.0, which enhances interoperability, improves data quality and supports more efficient trade processes,” she added.
Egwunyenga also highlighted the growing contribution of Nigeria Customs Officers to global capacity-building initiatives under the WCO framework.
According to her, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Bukola Omoniyi is a WCO-accredited Single Window and Data Model Expert who has participated in several WCO technical missions to assist countries in implementing the WCO Data Model.
She noted that through such missions, Nigerian experts have supported customs administrations in countries including Uganda, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Kazakhstan, Tunisia and The Gambia in adopting the WCO Data Model framework.
She further noted that Nigeria currently has a pool of officers actively contributing to WCO Data Model development and implementation, including Assistant Comptroller of Customs Usman Abba as Business Process Modelling Focus Group, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Bukola Omoniyi as Data Modelling Focus Group and Assistant Comptroller of Customs Mary-Anne Egwunyenga as WCO Data Modelling Project Team and Business Process Modelling Focus Group Lead.
Commenting on the achievements of NCS in the WCO-DMPT, Comptroller Haladu Ubale, Nigeria Customs Attaché to the WCO in Brussels,observes that Nigeria’s continued representation in the leadership of the WCO-DMPT strengthens the country’s voice in shaping the technical standards that guide customs automation, digital border management, and global trade facilitation.
The meeting brought together customs data experts and technical specialists from WCO member administrations to review developments in the WCO Data Model and discuss emerging digital trade requirements to improve cross-border data exchange and trade efficiency.
