What National Single Window Will Do for Nigerian Ports

Ismail Aniemu writes that the National Single Window project which takes off early 2026 is one of Nigeria’s easiest way of hitting the 1trillion USD economy sooner.

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For Nigerian ports ecosystem, the National Single Window (NSW) is anticipated to integrate with the Port Community System (PCS) to address longstanding inefficiencies in operations.

Key Positive Impacts on Nigerian Ports
The NSW is poised to transform port operations by reducing bottlenecks, improving transparency, and boosting overall competitiveness.

Cost Reductions: Currently, the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports is up to 40% higher than in other West African countries due to delays and administrative hurdles. The NSW is projected to cut these costs by at least 25%, making Nigerian ports more affordable for importers and exporters and enhancing the sector’s appeal as a regional hub.

Efficiency Improvements: enabling unified data sharing among agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service, and others, the NSW will eliminate redundancies and streamline clearance processes. This includes reducing vessel turnaround time from an average of 7 days to 5 days and truck turnaround from 10 days to just few hours.

Additional enablers, such as new tugboats, improved crane productivity, and better multimodal connectivity (road, rail, and waterways), will further minimize delays and support faster cargo handling.

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Revenue and Economic Benefits

The system is expected to curb an annual revenue loss of N2.5 trillion (about $1.5 billion) in the business community by 25% through better transparency and reduced leakages. On a broader scale, it will maximize Nigeria’s marine resources, create thousands of jobs, increase the maritime sector’s GDP contribution, and position the country as West Africa’s transshipment hub, driving global trade volumes.

The NSW represents a game-changer for Nigerian ports, potentially elevating them from their struggling states to efficient gateways for African and global trade,

The Nigerian National Single Window (NSW) project is moving steadily toward its operational target of early 2026, following a series of high-level meetings at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja.

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The project, launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in April 2024, is a flagship initiative designed to simplify trade procedures, improve transparency, and deliver economic benefits to the nation.

At the August 12th review meeting, key stakeholders, including the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, and the Director of the National Single Window, Tola Fakolade, pledged to strengthen inter-agency collaboration. The discussions centered on aligning integration timelines and ensuring agencies are ready before the first-quarter 2026 deadline.

On 16 September 2025, Adedeji and Mr Fakolade revisited Customs Headquarters for a follow-up session, where the FIRS Chairman expressed satisfaction with the pace of work. He commended the Customs management for their cooperation and noted that the progress reflects a strong will to deliver on the President’s mandate.

“I can’t thank you all enough for the wonderful progress as I’m seeing everything being completed. This has become the official headquarters of the implementation. Nigeria Customs Service is playing host to the core implementation scheme of Single Window”, the FIRS Chairman remarked.

Earlier in Lagos,Fakolade had disclosed that only freight forwarding practitioners and companies registered with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria(CRFFN) will have access to the National Single Window(NSW) platform.

The implication of this is that other persons or companies practicing freight forwarding but not registered with the CRFFN won’t have access to the NSW platform.

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