Nigeria’s trade future in focus as FIRS unveils single window at MARCON retreat

On Nov 21, 2025

Maureen Aguta

The Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) has announced that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will headline this year’s All Maritime Journalists Retreat, where senior players from the maritime, trade, finance and technology sectors will examine fresh strategies for boosting the country’s trade competitiveness.

The retreat, slated for Thursday, December 4, 2025, at De Marii Hotel, Lagos Free Trade Zone, Lekki, is themed “Maximising Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Import and Export Trade.” It is positioned to deepen industry-wide understanding of how digitalisation can unlock efficiency across Nigeria’s import–export value chain.

A major highlight will be the FIRS technical paper titled “Onboarding on the National Single Window Platform: A Step-by-Step Guide.” The presentation will offer participants a practical breakdown of the integration process with the National Single Window (NSW) — a flagship platform designed to consolidate trade documentation, strengthen transparency, and accelerate cargo clearance.

MARCON in a statement by Paul Ogbuokiri and Adaku Onyenucheya, Chairman and Secretary of the Conference Planning Committee respectively, the association noted that with the NSW Secretariat housed within the FIRS, the agency’s leadership role at the retreat reflects its central position in government’s push for technology-driven trade facilitation and more modern revenue-collection systems.

With the NSW expected to become fully operational by the first quarter of 2026, the retreat is considered especially timely. It will provide maritime journalists and industry stakeholders an opportunity to gain clarity on onboarding procedures, compliance benchmarks and the wider policy implications of the single-window regime.

Beyond the technical presentations, the retreat will expose participants to practical case studies, expert analyses and emerging digital tools shaping global trade practices. According to MARCON, the engagement is also designed to strengthen collaboration between the media and regulatory agencies, ensuring more accurate, reform-minded coverage of Nigeria’s evolving maritime landscape.

By equipping journalists with deeper context and stronger technical insight, MARCON hopes the retreat will help advance national efforts to build a more competitive, technology-enabled trade ecosystem.