Uche Cecil Izuora
The Nigeria Customs Service has rallied support of stakeholders to ensure the successful rollout of the National Single Window (NSW), a unified digital platform designed to streamline Nigeria’s import and export processes.
Speaking at the National Single Window Stakeholders’ Engagement Forum in Lagos, Zonal Coordinator for Zone A, Assistant Comptroller-General Mohammed Babandede, urged openness to change and collaboration across the trade ecosystem. He emphasized that the project’s success depends on everyone’s active participation and patience as the transformation unfolds.
Improving port efficiency, he noted, will boost competitiveness and provide greater predictability for manufacturers and traders. “The more we enhance port efficiency, the more competitive our economy becomes, and the more predictable outcomes will be for stakeholders,” Babandede said.
Tola Fakolade, Director of the NSW Project and Head of Secretariat, stressed the forum’s relevance as the project approaches its first phase launch. “As we near the first phase launch, it is crucial that all key stakeholders understand the scope and the impact on their operations,” Fakolade remarked.
In a keynote address, Kingsley Igwe, Registrar and CEO of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), highlighted the NSW’s critical role in Nigeria’s AfCFTA participation. He pointed out that the NSW must align with continental and global best practices, including reducing costs and integrating free trade agreements through the NCS’s B’Odogwu platform to improve classification and duty payments.
The forum featured a panel on global benchmarking, coordination among trade actors, and an interactive Q&A session with NSW project leaders. The NSW platform will allow importers and exporters to submit all required trade documents via a single digital portal, linking all relevant government agencies and reducing clearance bottlenecks.
The first phase of the NSW is slated for launch in March 2026, with subsequent phases targeted for completion by the end of 2026.