From left, the Director National Single Window (NSW), Mr Tola Fakolade; the Registrar Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding, Mr Kingsley Igwe; and the Zonal Coordinator Zone’A’, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Muhammed Babadede, during the stakeholders’ engagement forum jointly organised by the National Single Window Secretariat and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos on Thursday
Stakeholders backs Tinubu’s Single Window Initiative, Project 30% Drop in Nigeria’s Logistics Cost
By Reporter
LAGOS, Oct. 9, 2025 — Stakeholders across Nigeria’s import and export value chain have thrown their weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s National Single Window (NSW) initiative, hailing it as a game-changer that could slash the nation’s logistics and supply chain costs by up to 30 per cent.
The endorsement came during a high-level stakeholders’ engagement forum jointly organised by the National Single Window Secretariat and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos on Thursday.
The forum brought together key players from government agencies, freight forwarding associations, the private sector, and trade regulatory bodies to deliberate on how to ensure a seamless rollout of the NSW platform.
Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr Kingsley Igwe, said the initiative would transform Nigeria’s trade environment by cutting red tape, boosting efficiency, and driving competitiveness.
Igwe noted that studies had shown that the full implementation of the NSW could lower logistics costs by between 25 and 30 per cent, thereby improving Nigeria’s attractiveness to investors and positioning it among Africa’s leading trade hubs.
He added that by digitising and integrating all trade-related processes, the initiative would foster transparency, reduce documentation duplication, and enhance Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Nigeria is at a critical juncture,” Igwe said. “Our businesses continue to grapple with high logistics costs, delays, and inefficiencies.
The National Single Window offers a proven solution, as demonstrated in Singapore, South Korea, and Rwanda.” Igwe said.
Director of the National Single Window Project, Mr Tola Fakolade, described the initiative as a digital one-stop platform that allows traders, shipping lines, banks, and government agencies to process all trade documentation through a single, secure interface.
According to Fakolade, the NSW will drastically reduce manual processing by automating approvals, licences, and inspections, all tracked in real time to promote transparency and accountability.
“With the NSW, importers and exporters will only process documents once, and all relevant agencies will recognise them immediately,” he explained.
“This will eliminate duplication and corruption-prone bottlenecks.”He said.
He further revealed that the system aims for 24-hour cargo clearance, with technology reducing physical examinations by up to 90 per cent, while offering real-time data analytics for monitoring trade flows and compliance.
Fakolade said the project was designed to consolidate all existing platforms in the cargo clearance chain into a unified, efficient system.
“The Single Window logs all cargo transactions and disseminates them to relevant agencies, ensuring visibility and accountability,” he said.
He also highlighted that several African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, and Benin Republic, had already adopted similar systems, inspiring President Tinubu’s decision to implement the initiative to boost trade simplicity and revenue generation.
Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Zone ‘A’, Muhammed Babadede, emphasised that the NSW represented more than a technology upgrade adding that it was a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s cross-border trade management.
Babadede announced that the official launch of the platform was scheduled for March 2026, describing it as a milestone that would end the long-standing inefficiencies of repetitive documentation and prolonged cargo delays.
“For too long, our traders have battled multiple agencies and redundant paperwork.
“This NSW reform will finally bring efficiency and speed to Nigerian trade operations.”Babadede said.
President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr Ibrahim Jani, represented by Mr Idris Yahya, reaffirmed the commitment of the organised private sector to supporting the initiative.
Jani praised Customs for its reform-driven leadership and pledged NACCIMA’s readiness to collaborate with relevant agencies to ensure the success of the Single Window. “Collaboration among stakeholders remains key to creating a conducive environment for trade,” he said.
Vice Chairman of the Port Consultative Council of Nigeria (PCCN), Chief Jean-Chiazor Anishere (SAN), lauded the Customs Service for its consistency in implementing trade facilitation measures.
Anishere described the forum as “a major leap toward a transparent, efficient, and globally competitive trade ecosystem.”
Other participants, including industry expert Mr Dili Ari, applauded the Customs Service for embracing digital transformation and standardisation, saying the NSW would align Nigeria’s trade operations with international best practices and set the stage for a new era of efficiency and growth.
The NSW Stakeholders forum attracted airline operators, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Importers, exporters, shipping companies, banks, terminal operators among others.