NSW Simplifying Trade as Phase Two Exports Begin December 14 – Fakolade

By Felix Ajide

Lagos – The National Single Window (NSW) project is simplifying trade procedures in Nigeria by enabling traders to submit regulatory documents through a single platform, as the second phase of the project, focusing on exports, is scheduled to commence on Dec. 14.

The Director of NSW, Dr Tola Fakolade, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ engagement themed “Unlocking Endless Possibilities: A Comprehensive Outlook on the National Single Window Project” held on Tuesday in Lagos.

Fakolade explained that the National Single Window concept was developed by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to facilitate international trade.

He said the platform enabled traders to submit documents required for regulatory approvals once and receive responses through the same platform, while serving as a central repository for trade data to promote transparency, efficiency and inter-agency collaboration.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the NSW project on April 16, 2024, while its first phase was launched on March 27, 2026, with emphasis on licences, permits, certificates and manifests relating to imports.

The director stressed that the NSW was not designed to take over the statutory mandates, revenue or responsibilities of participating government agencies but to complement their operations through improved coordination and efficiency.

Giving an update on the project’s performance since its launch, Fakolade said 169,211 licences, permits and certificates had been processed, while more than 12,000 importers and agents had registered on the platform.

He added that 27 airlines had been onboarded, with more than 4,000 electronic manifests transmitted, while 20 shipping lines had also joined the system.

Fakolade said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) now processed all their licences and permits through the NSW platform.

He added that efforts were ongoing to streamline overlapping product regulations through Harmonised System (HS) code mapping in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The director said lessons learnt from the first phase, particularly in change management, stakeholder engagement, training and technical support, would guide the implementation of the second phase.

He explained that Phase Two would focus on export-related processes, including export licences, permits and Free Trade Zones, adding that it would be implemented in two batches.

According to him, Batch One, involving agencies responsible for issuing export permits, will go live on Dec. 14, while Batch Two, which includes processes involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2027.

Also speaking, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller-General Frank Onyeka, described the NSW project as critical to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s export transformation agenda.

 

Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Assistant Comptroller-General Frank Onyeka, The Director, National Single Window (NSW), Dr Tola Fakolade, the Comptroller in Charge of Modernisation, Anyqnwu Fayam, and the The Deputy Director and Regional Coordinator, NSW, Mr Benedict Itegbe, at the stakeholders’ engagement on unlocking endless possibilities: a comprehensive outlook on the National Single Window project

 

Onyeka said the processing of more than 169,000 licences and permits demonstrated the growing importance of a unified digital system in facilitating national and international trade.

He said the Customs Service was exploring every possible avenue to ensure that exporters were properly positioned to use the platform and that no exporter was left behind in the country’s trade transformation process.

According to him, the service will continue to train its officers, standardise procedures and strengthen partnerships with agents and port operators to encourage registration, participation in user-acceptance exercises and training sessions.

Onyeka noted that the second phase would create new opportunities for export activities, increase trade value and strengthen Nigeria’s position as an export-oriented economy.

He congratulated President Tinubu for initiating the project and commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, for providing leadership in driving reforms, modernising customs processes and strengthening institutional collaboration to ensure the success of the initiative.

In her remarks, the Assistant Director, National Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs Patience Apanide, said the NSW had processed more than 169,000 import licences and permits since March 7, as stakeholders prepared to onboard exporters ahead of the second phase.

Apanide said the export-focused phase would eliminate repeated inspections, harmonise documentation requirements and improve cargo tracking from farms and factories to ports.

She emphasised that exporters’ preparedness and willingness to embrace the new system would be critical to its successful implementation.

Similarly, the Deputy Director and Regional Coordinator of NSW, Mr Benedict Itegbe, said the platform was designed to promote economic prosperity by reducing documentation bottlenecks and facilitating seamless trade, particularly for exporters.

He described its operating principle as “one portal, one submission and one coordinated process”, noting that NEPC was among the first agencies to onboard the platform and align its processes with the NSW Secretariat.

Itegbe disclosed that Nigeria’s non-oil exports recorded 6.1 billion dollars in value and 8.02 million metric tonnes in volume in 2025, with more than 8,200 new exporters registered during the period.

He urged exporters to update their registration details and familiarise themselves with the platform ahead of the commencement of the second phase rather than wait until the system became fully operational.

The engagement attracted more than 500 stakeholders, including importers, exporters, government agencies, freight forwarders and other trade operators, who discussed strategies for improving the implementation of the NSW project and promoting efficient trade facilitation in Nigeria.