By Oluyinka Onigbinde

The National Single Window (NSW) platform has facilitated over N17 billion in payments to regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), within eight months of operation.

The platform has also processed more than 4,000 trade manifests and 169,211 licences, permits and certificates since its launch on March 27, 2026, while over 12,000 importers and clearing agents have registered on the system.

The Director of the NSW Secretariat, Mr Tola Fakolade, disclosed these figures on Tuesday in Lagos during a stakeholders’ engagement organised ahead of the commencement of the second phase of the National Single Window project, scheduled to go live on December 14, 2026.

Fakolade said the second phase would expand the scope of the platform, particularly in facilitating export documentation, simplifying regulatory procedures and improving the efficiency of international trade transactions.

He also disclosed that the NSW Secretariat was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to resolve conflicting issues surrounding the Harmonised System (HS) Code status of certain products at the nation’s ports.

Explaining the concept behind the initiative, Fakolade said the National Single Window was designed to simplify international trade processes by providing a central platform through which importers and exporters could submit documents for regulatory approvals, eliminating duplication and reducing delays.

He explained that the concept was developed decades ago by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business, in collaboration with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO), following concerns over the proliferation of separate digital systems operated by regulatory agencies.

According to him, the fragmented arrangement required traders to move from one agency to another and repeatedly submit similar documents, creating unnecessary bottlenecks in cargo clearance and trade transactions.

“The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business, in collaboration with WCO and WTO, came up with the concept of a single window, where documentation can be submitted centrally, thus simplifying the processes, eliminating duplication and making trade facilitation easier,” he said.

Fakolade recalled that President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the National Single Window project on April 16, 2024, adding that the Secretariat had since been working with relevant government agencies and stakeholders to establish a centralised platform for trade documentation and regulatory approvals.

He said the initiative had recorded growing acceptance since the launch of its first phase, despite initial concerns among stakeholders over the payment structure and fears that the platform could undermine the statutory responsibilities and revenue of participating agencies.

“There was a lot of confusion earlier because the payment happens on the single window platform. There were concerns. We are not taking the job of any agency. Agencies have their acts and mandates, and they are going to use their acts. We are not taking away their revenue,” he explained.

The first phase of the project, which commenced on March 27, 2026, focused mainly on licensing and manifest processing.

Acknowledging the challenges encountered during the initial months, Fakolade said the Secretariat had listened to complaints from users and introduced measures to address operational difficulties.

He disclosed that 27 airlines had been onboarded, submitting more than 4,000 air cargo manifests through the platform, while 20 shipping lines were already participating.

He added that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) were expected to be onboarded before the end of the year.

On outstanding operational challenges, the NSW director said the project team had identified instances where three or four regulatory agencies exercised oversight over the same products under certain HS Codes.

He said a committee had commenced engagements with relevant ministries and agencies to review their respective statutory mandates and determine the appropriate regulatory requirements for affected products.

“We have been able to streamline some. It is a continuous work in progress, but there has been a heavy lift, where we have simplified a lot of the number of agencies regulating certain products, based on discussions, negotiations and alignment,” he said.

Fakolade added that the committee was close to incorporating the agreed changes into the system, which would provide importers with revised HS Code requirements.

Speaking on preparations for the second phase, he said the secretariat had identified important lessons from the first phase, particularly the need to strengthen change management, stakeholder engagement, training and user support.

He explained that some of the difficulties experienced during the initial rollout were caused by knowledge gaps among users, stressing that the Secretariat would intensify sensitisation and engagement to ensure a smoother transition when the second phase goes live on December 14.

According to him, training programmes would commence in the coming weeks, with plans to expand the network of training centres to accommodate more stakeholders across the country.

He also disclosed that the Secretariat was working to expand its physical support infrastructure beyond Lagos, noting that the project currently had only one physical support centre in Apapa.

Fakolade said additional support centres would be established outside Lagos to enable importers, exporters and their agents to access assistance without necessarily travelling to the commercial capital.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, represented by the Nigeria Customs Service Zonal Coordinator of Zone A, Frank Onyeka, said the second phase would simplify export processes, improve cargo clearance and ease of doing business, as well as strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in international trade.

He described the adoption rate of over 95 per cent and other achievements recorded during the first phase as evidence that Nigeria had the capacity to embrace digital trade and successfully deploy technology to improve its trading environment.

Adeniyi said the integration of platforms would help address delays associated with trade procedures, accelerate cargo clearance and reduce cargo downtime, thereby improving efficiency across the supply chain.

He expressed optimism that the second phase would create new opportunities for export businesses, increase non-oil revenue and strengthen Nigeria’s position in regional and international trade.

He said the NSW initiative aligned with the NCS policy thrusts of collaboration, consolidation and innovation, as well as the Unified Customs Management System, known as B’Odogwu.

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