FG targets faster ports, lower trade costs as National Single Window goes live March 27
Maureen Aguta
The Federal Government has fixed March 27, 2026, for the rollout of Phase One of Nigeria’s long-awaited National Single Window (NSW), signalling a major shift toward digitised, transparent and efficient trade administration at the nation’s ports and borders.
Designed as a centralised digital platform, the National Single Window will allow traders to submit all trade-related documents once through a single interface, while relevant government agencies access, process and approve them in real time.
By eliminating multiple submissions, overlapping procedures and manual bottlenecks, the system is expected to cut delays, lower transaction costs and significantly improve the ease of doing business.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who inaugurated the project in April 2024, described the NSW as a cornerstone of his administration’s economic and trade reform agenda.
According to the Presidency, the platform will fundamentally change how trade is conducted in Nigeria by replacing “fragmentation with coordination, opacity with transparency, and delay with efficiency.”
The President noted that modern and efficient trade systems are critical to economic diversification, non-oil export growth and sustained national development, stressing that Nigeria must align its trade infrastructure with global best practices to remain competitive.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, echoed this position, describing the National Single Window as a game-changer that will simplify and democratise trade processes across the country.
She explained that the platform would harmonise documentation requirements, improve transaction tracking and enhance transparency, ultimately driving higher trade volumes.
According to the minister, experienced traders and frequent port users stand to benefit immediately from the efficiency gains, while new entrants will face fewer procedural barriers in navigating Nigeria’s trade ecosystem.
Providing clarity on implementation, the Director of the National Single Window Project, Mr. Tola Fakolade, said the Federal Government deliberately adopted a phased rollout to avoid the disruptions associated with large-scale “big bang” technology deployments.
Phase One, scheduled for launch on March 27, will focus primarily on statutory permits and cargo manifests—areas widely regarded as major sources of delay and duplication in trade processing.
“The National Single Window will be rolled out in phases, starting with statutory permits and cargo manifests,” Fakolade said.
“This allows us to stabilise the system, build stakeholder confidence and deliver immediate value where bottlenecks are most pronounced.”
He noted that lessons from previous technology initiatives informed the government’s cautious approach.
“Attempting to do everything at once has, in the past, created avoidable disruptions. Phasing the NSW is a strategic choice that prioritises sustainability, user adoption and continuous improvement over speed for speed’s sake.”
Fakolade added that subsequent phases would expand the platform’s scope, onboard additional regulatory agencies and deepen integration across the entire trade value chain, guided by operational data and user feedback.
“This approach ensures the National Single Window grows with the ecosystem and remains resilient and scalable,” he said.
As Phase One goes live, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to close collaboration with the private sector, development partners and other trade stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition and shared ownership of the reform.
By leveraging digital innovation to simplify trade procedures, officials say the National Single Window will accelerate the movement of goods, strengthen revenue assurance and position Nigeria more firmly as a regional trade and logistics hub.
With the March 27 launch, Nigeria takes a decisive step toward modern trade governance—one that places efficiency, transparency and learning at the centre of economic progress.