ANLCA, NAGAFF hail National Single Window, predict faster clearance and greater transparency
Maureen Aguta
Licensed customs agents and freight forwarders have endorsed the Federal Government’s National Single Window (NSW) Project, describing it as a long-awaited reform that promises to eliminate duplication, enhance transparency and fast-track cargo clearance across Nigeria’s ports.
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) declared their support during separate town hall engagements held in Apapa, Lagos, on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
For operators who have long grappled with multiple documentation requirements and overlapping agency mandates, the project represents what ANLCA National President, Emenike Nwokeoji, called “a much-needed reform.”
He expressed optimism that the political will demonstrated by the present administration would finally address persistent bottlenecks in cargo processing.
“The multiplication of documents and repeated submissions will come to an end. Any objection raised on the platform will be visible to all stakeholders,” Nwokeoji said, noting that the system would enable licensed agents to submit documents remotely and track cargo movement in real time.
“This project is going to help in making our jobs easier. That is why we are giving it our full support. On behalf of licensed customs agents, I believe it will succeed.”
At its own session, NAGAFF echoed similar sentiments. National President, Tochukwu Ezisi, described the initiative as a timely intervention that would significantly improve efficiency, transparency and ease of doing business in the maritime sector.
He stressed that with adequate training and sustained stakeholder engagement, the reform would deliver measurable gains to both the industry and the broader economy.
Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, went further, characterising the Single Window as a breakthrough for maritime trade.
“The Single Window platform is the best thing that is going to happen in the maritime sector because it is interactive. NAGAFF members will fully support this project. We are always eager to embrace due process,” he said.
Both associations urged their members to embrace the platform early, drawing lessons from previous system transitions that were hampered by delayed adoption. They encouraged agents to register for training sessions, attend designated centres and cascade knowledge to their staff.
Earlier, the Director of the NSW Project, Tola Fakolade, outlined a phased rollout strategy aimed at managing risks and resolving early implementation challenges. The deployment, he said, will span three stages over a maximum of 12 months.
Phase One, scheduled to go live on March 27, 2026, will cover import-related licences, certificates and permits (LCPO) submissions, air and sea manifest submissions, centralised risk management for regulatory agencies such as SON, NAFDAC and NAQS, as well as LCPO payments.
Phase Two, slated for the second and third quarters of 2026, will extend LCPO submissions to exports, integrate export process applications such as NXP, migrate Form M initiation to the Single Window platform, and introduce data analytics, reporting and dashboards.
Phase Three, expected in the first quarter of 2027, will incorporate declaration submissions, duties assessment and payment, Advanced Risk Analytics (ARA), the Trade Visualisation System (TVS), and expanded operational reporting tools.
Fakolade assured stakeholders that processes not captured in the initial phase would continue on existing government agency platforms until fully integrated.
To support the transition, the project team will conduct intensive two-day, hands-on training sessions for licensed agents and freight forwarders over four weeks nationwide. Participants are advised to register for centres closest to them. Support centres with internet access will also be established at major ports, beginning with Apapa, alongside help desks and walk-in support facilities after launch.
While commending ANLCA and NAGAFF for their early backing, Fakolade called for deeper grassroots sensitisation within their ranks, urging members to act as ambassadors of what he described as “the start of a great trade journey for Nigeria.”