The Federal Government has announced plans to commence Phase 1 of the National Single Window (NSW) Project on March 27, 2026.
The initiative is expected to significantly reduce delays, eliminate duplication of processes, curb inefficiencies and lower the cost of doing business at Nigeria’s ports and borders.
The NSW is a centralised digital platform designed to simplify and harmonise trade procedures by allowing traders to submit trade-related information once through a single interface, while relevant government agencies access, process and approve documentation seamlessly.
The Director of the NSW, Mr Tola Fakolade, said that the Federal Government deliberately adopted a phased rollout approach to ensure system stability and stakeholder confidence, adding that Phase 1 would focus mainly on statutory permits and cargo manifests, areas where bottlenecks are most pronounced.
He added: “The National Single Window will be rolled out in phases, starting with statutory permits and manifests. This allows us to stabilise the system, build confidence among stakeholders and deliver immediate value.”
Fakolade noted that the phased approach was informed by lessons from previous large-scale technology initiatives that adopted a “big bang” rollout, which often resulted in disruptions.
According to him, subsequent phases would gradually expand the platform’s scope, onboard additional agencies and deepen integration across the trade value chain to ensure scalability and sustainability.
With the launch of the National Single Window, the government said Nigeria is taking a decisive step towards modern trade governance, positioning the country as a more competitive regional trade hub while strengthening revenue assurance and facilitating faster movement of goods.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while inaugurating the project on April 16, 2024, had described the National Single Window as a critical pillar of the administration’s trade and economic reform agenda.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu said that the platform would replace fragmentation with coordination, opacity with transparency, and delays with efficiency, adding that efficient trade systems are vital to economic diversification, non-oil export growth and improved ease of doing business.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, also described the initiative as a game-changer that would simplify and democratise trade in Nigeria.
She explained that the platform would streamline trade documentation through a unified window, enhance transparency, improve transaction tracking and ultimately boost trade volumes, noting that experienced traders would particularly benefit from the efficiency gains.
