Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government has launched Phase 1 of the National Single Window, a centralised digital trade platform designed to reduce average cargo dwell time at Nigeria’s main seaports from about 21 days to fewer than seven days by 2026.
Okay News reports that the initiative, announced by the Office of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, will run alongside a new agreement to upgrade Lagos’ Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port, which together handle roughly 70 per cent of Nigeria’s maritime trade, forming a coordinated reform push to cut delays, lower trade costs and support faster economic growth.
Government data show that cargo dwell time at Nigerian ports currently averages 18 to 21 days, far above the global benchmark of around four days, with about 73 per cent of the delay caused by transaction processes such as documentation, customs procedures and regulatory approvals rather than purely physical infrastructure constraints.
The National Single Window is being built as a single online portal that links all trade related agencies, an approach officials say should reduce port delays, remove bureaucratic hurdles, enhance transparency and reduce opportunities for rent seeking, while also lowering the overall cost of doing business by streamlining procedures and limiting human interference.
President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a committee for the National Single Window in April 2024 and directed that the system be fully operational by the first quarter of 2026, positioning it as part of his administration’s broader plan to help Nigeria move toward a one trillion dollar economy through more efficient trade logistics and better use of its ports.
According to the finance ministry, importers and manufacturers are expected to benefit from faster access to raw materials and lower demurrage and inventory costs, while exporters should see shorter turnaround times that improve their competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area as goods move more quickly through Nigerian ports.
Officials say the reforms should help ease inflationary pressures by cutting logistics costs embedded in consumer prices, and note that higher efficiency and better compliance could raise trade volumes and government revenue, effectively removing what has been described as a “congestion tax” on Nigerian businesses.
The National Single Window rollout complements a 746 million pound financing deal with the United Kingdom, backed by UK Export Finance, to modernise the Lagos Port Complex at Apapa and the Tin Can Island Port Complex, which together handle more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s imports and exports and are seen as critical nodes in the country’s trade system.
President Tinubu has previously reaffirmed his commitment to seeing the National Single Window through despite expected implementation challenges, arguing that tackling both administrative bottlenecks and infrastructure gaps at the same time is essential to unlocking the full value of Nigeria’s ports.
