Assistant Comptroller Nnenna Ugo Awa has been elected by acclamation as Customs Vice Chairperson of the World Customs Organization’s SAFE Working Group at its 33rd meeting in Brussels in October 2026. She was nominated by Japan and seconded by the European Union, with support from African delegations and other regions.
Awa, Nigeria’s pioneer Authorised Economic Operator Programme Lead and Lead of the MSME Desk, brings 15 years of service in the Nigeria Customs Service to the role. The assignment, which under the group’s Terms of Reference sees the Vice Chair succeed the Chair without a separate election, will see her help guide international cooperation on securing supply chains and facilitating legitimate trade for the WCO’s 187 member administrations.
Expressing gratitude to supporters, including colleagues from the UK, South Africa and Uganda, and to Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi for investing credibility in officers, Awa noted her experience in intellectual property enforcement, environment unit, AEO and integrity work including co-leading the SOP for WCO Internal Corruption Risk Analysis and Mapping (ICRAM). Nigeria’s AEO Programme was launched nationally on February 14, 2025.
