The Federal Government has officially kicked off User Acceptance Testing for the National Single Window (NSW), marking a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward a unified, technology-driven trade system set to go live by March 2026. The first cohort of stakeholders began hands-on testing as part of the government’s push to remove bottlenecks and modernize trade processes across all sectors. The initiative aims to streamline documentation, cut costs and integrate all trade-related activities into a single digital platform.
Technology partner CrimsonLogic led participating agencies through the onboarding procedures, system navigation and workflow operations of the NSW platform. According to the company, the testing phase is critical for validating how the system functions in real-world scenarios and ensuring every stakeholder understands their role within the redesigned trade ecosystem. The platform is expected to significantly reduce duplication of tasks that have long slowed down Nigeria’s import and export processes.
Minister of Finance Wale Edun and Federal Inland Revenue Service Chairman Dr. Zacch Adedeji visited the testing grounds to review progress. Their presence underscored the government’s commitment to delivering a transparent, efficient and technology-driven trade environment. Both officials interacted with agencies in breakout rooms, expressing satisfaction with the pace of work and praising the collaborative spirit among ministries, departments and private-sector groups.
The inaugural testing session included representatives from key regulatory bodies such as the Nigeria Customs Service, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, NESREA, as well as importers, exporters, freight forwarders and clearing agents. For many of them, the session offered a first opportunity to test how the system integrates their operations and what improvements will be needed before the nationwide launch. The broad participation signals readiness across the sector for Nigeria’s biggest trade digitalization reform in decades.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade Summit, reaffirmed the 2026 launch date and emphasized the NSW’s potential to cut cargo clearance time from 21 days to under seven. Industry leaders, including CRFFN CEO Kingsley Igwe, say the platform could reduce logistics costs by up to 30 percent, enhance supply-chain visibility and make Nigeria more competitive in global markets. With successful testing underway, the country is now firmly on track toward a faster, more transparent and investor-friendly trade framework.
source: punch