Nigeria Edges Closer to Regional Trade Leadership as National Single Window Nears 2026 Launch.
Nigeria Edges Closer to Regional Trade Leadership as National Single Window Nears 2026 Launch.
Lucky Akra
Nigeria’s long-awaited National Single Window (NSW) project has reached its most advanced phase yet, with active testing and configuration now underway ahead of the platform’s planned rollout in March 2026. Officials say the development marks the furthest progress the country has made since first committing to the system several years ago.
Speaking on Thursday 4 of December,2025 at the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) retreat at the Lekki Free Zone, Ayokunu Oyeniyi, Head of Change and Stakeholder Management for the NSW, said the benefits of the platform will become evident almost immediately after it goes live. Oyeniyi represented the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, at the event themed “Maximising Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Import and Export Trade.”
He noted that this is the first time Nigeria has developed a functional version of the NSW that is ready for institutional and public review, describing the milestone as a major turning point in the nation’s repeated attempts to implement the system.
Designed as a centralised digital platform, the NSW will allow importers, exporters and trade operators to submit all required documentation once, enabling every relevant government agency to access the information simultaneously. Oyeniyi said the system will eliminate duplication, cut delays, reduce manual paperwork and enhance transparency across the trade chain. While Ghana and other countries have been running similar systems for more than a decade, he stressed that Nigeria is developing a model intended to surpass regional standards.
When fully operational, the NSW is expected to reduce cargo clearance time to under 24 hours, shorten Nigeria’s lengthy export processing cycle, lower business costs and streamline overlapping mandates between agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The platform will also boost Customs’ risk-management capabilities and improve regulatory coordination.
Oyeniyi disclosed that project execution has accelerated since President Bola Tinubu launched the implementation phase in April 2024. The team has completed extensive business process mapping, conducted initial User Acceptance Testing with several regulatory bodies, and begun further testing with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Another test phase is planned for January 2026, followed by full-scale stakeholder training in February.
He added that the NSW will integrate seamlessly with Nigeria Customs Service systems, preserving Customs’ internal operations while linking them to a unified national trade platform.
According to him,”Government is also deploying modern scanners, strengthening centralised risk-management functions and introducing data-intelligence tools to reduce physical inspections and improve cargo monitoring”.
The progress recorded so far, Oyeniyi said, is driven by strong political support. The project’s steering committee operates from the Office of the President and includes all major trade-related agencies, helping deliver the alignment that had eluded previous implementation attempts.
Drawing on global case studies, he noted that countries with effective single window systems have cut export processing timelines from more than ten days to as few as two or three. He expressed confidence that Nigeria can achieve potentially surpass those results within the first one to two years of full implementation, positioning the country as a leading trade hub in West Africa.
Oyeniyi urged continued stakeholder cooperation as the rollout approaches, acknowledging that challenges may arise but assuring that the implementation team is prepared for rapid adjustments to ensure the system’s success.
