Nigeria’s National Single Window (NSW) platform has processed 156,026 licences, permits and certificates since its launch on 27 March, as testing advances for the next phase of the digital trade system, which will introduce export documentation and automated fee payments.
The Director of the National Single Window, Tola Fakolade, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a press and stakeholder engagement, describing the figures as progress in the Federal Government’s drive to streamline trade procedures, reduce cargo delays and curb revenue leakages.
Fakolade said more than 12,000 stakeholders, including importers, customs agents, shipping lines, airlines and freight forwarders, had registered on the platform, while over 8,000 users had received training since operations began.
Five key government agencies have been onboarded, with the bulk of approvals processed through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which issued 104,956 and 50,622 permits respectively.
The platform has also processed 3,964 air and sea cargo manifests and recorded 99.98 per cent uptime.
All 27 airlines operating in the country have been onboarded for air cargo manifest transmission, while 56 of the 88 shipping lines operating in Nigeria are connected to the system.
Fakolade said applications, processing, approvals and payments for import licences, permits and certificates were fully operational for NAFDAC, SON, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.
He added that work was under way to integrate harmonised tariff classification codes into the NSW platform and the Nigeria Customs Service’s B’Odogwu portal by November 2026, following consultations with regulatory agencies to address classification discrepancies.
The onboarding of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency for Ship’s Entry Notice submissions is also in progress, with the service scheduled to go live on 16 November.
Attention is now shifting to Phase Two, for which implementation has commenced, with user acceptance testing, end-user training and system readiness activities under way. The phase is expected to expand the platform beyond import approvals to cover export documentation, export cargo manifests, Import Duty Exemption Certificates, Free Trade Zone permits and automated export fee payments.
The first batch of agencies under Phase Two is scheduled to go live in the fourth quarter of 2026, including the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Federal Produce Inspection Service, Registered Exporter System, SON, NAFDAC and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.
A second batch, involving the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant ministries and agencies, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Phase Three is projected for the second half of 2027 and will introduce customs declaration submissions, Form M applications, specialised oil and gas clearance modules, advanced risk analytics and a trade visualisation system.
Fakolade urged traders and freight operators to make greater use of the platform, reaffirming the NSW’s commitment to technical support as Nigeria works towards a more efficient, transparent and fully digital trade environment.