ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Federal Government has fixed March 27 for the official launch of Nigeria’s long-awaited National Single Window (NSW), a digital trade platform designed to simplify import and export procedures and improve efficiency across government agencies.
Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the date at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the State House in Abuja. He described the initiative as a far-reaching fiscal reform under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, aimed at eliminating multiple documentation processes and replacing them with a unified digital system.
In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Gbajabiamila said the platform would mark a shift from fragmented “multiple windows” to a single, coordinated national interface. He explained that the meeting was convened to assess readiness and secure firm commitments from all participating agencies ahead of the rollout.
National Single Window Coordinator, Tola Fakolade, urged agencies to intensify preparations in the final 23 days before go-live. He said the first phase would allow for online processing of import permits, electronic submission of cargo manifests and the deployment of a centralised risk management system. Under the arrangement, documents submitted once would be automatically shared with relevant agencies without duplication or manual intervention.
The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, pledged full support from his ministry, describing the project as growth-enhancing. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, also committed to working with stakeholders to sensitise traders ahead of the launch, noting that the reform aligns with the administration’s economic agenda.
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, stressed the need to close Nigeria’s trade facilitation gap, while Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, called for strong coordination and political will. Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, described the project as historic and assured stakeholders of full collaboration.
At the close of the meeting, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment was mandated to coordinate the final implementation phase to ensure a seamless rollout of the platform on March 27. Other agencies represented included the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Ports Authority, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.
