NSW handles N17bn transactions for NAFDAC, SON, others in 8 months

•Registers 12,000 importers, clearing agents

The National Single Window (NSW) platform has processed over 4,000 trade manifests and facilitated 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.

However, 169,211 licences, permits and certificates had been processed through the platform since its launch on March 27, 2026, while more than 12,000 importers and agents had registered on the system.

The Director of the NSW Secretariat, Mr Tola Fakolade, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos during a stakeholders’ engagement held ahead of the launch of the second phase of the National Single Window project, which will go live on December 14.

Fakolade also revealed that the NSW Secretariat and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were working to resolve conflicting issues surrounding the Harmonised System (HS) Code status of some 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 said 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 the clearance process.

“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 said.

The first phase of the project was launched on March 27, 2026, with emphasis 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 added that 27 airlines had been onboarded, submitting more than 4,000 air cargo manifests through the platform, while 20 shipping lines were already participating.

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), he said, were expected to be onboarded before the end of the year.

On outstanding operational challenges, the NSW Secretariat 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 the 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 only a few weeks away from incorporating the agreed changes into the system, which would provide importers with revised HS Code requirements.

Looking ahead to the second phase, he said the Secretariat had identified key 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.

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 travelling to the commercial capital.

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

He described the adoption rate of over 95 per cent and other achievement of 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 the 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 the country’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.

According to him, the NCS was committed to exploring every avenue of trade participation to encourage traders and investors through transparent processes that would contribute to national economic prosperity.

The Deputy Director and Regional Coordinator, Southwest, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Benedict Itegbe, said the initiative as a strategic reform that will address documentation bottlenecks, improving logistics and strengthening the country’s non-oil export sector.

Itegbe said the council was among the first agencies scheduled to go live under phase two , adding that it was working with the project secretariat and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to align its processes with the new platform.

Itegbe said the initiative would consolidate critical export documentation, including the Nigerian Export Proceeds (NXP) form, Nigeria Customs export documentation, export manifests and free zone permits, on a single portal.

Itegbe, however, identified documentation requirements and procedural bottlenecks as persistent challenges facing exporters, stressing that the NSW infrastructure would eliminate multiple submissions and fragmented regulatory processes, making it easier for exporters to complete transactions.

Itegbe said the Council was working with the NSW secretariat to bring export processes onto the platform and leverage its existing export support infrastructure across the country to guide exporters through registration and document uploads.

He added that the council would gather feedback from exporters during the pilot and rollout phases and communicate their concerns to the secretariat to improve the system.

According to him, the success of the second phase would ultimately depend on the experience of exporters and the ability of participating agencies to eliminate duplication and provide seamless services.

He also called on banks, logistics operators and customs agents to prepare for the transition, noting that their readiness would determine how quickly Nigerian products could access international markets.

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