Nigeria’s National Single Window Project to Slash Cargo Clearance Costs and Boost Trade Compliance
The Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr. Kingsley Igwe, has revealed that the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) project will significantly reduce cargo clearance costs and streamline import and export processes across the country. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, Igwe emphasized that the digital platform is poised to lower production costs for manufacturing firms while easing logistical bottlenecks at Nigerian ports.
Igwe highlighted that despite Nigeria’s strategic position as a gateway to West and Central Africa, businesses—ranging from multinational companies to small-scale importers—continue to grapple with high logistics costs, fragmented procedures, repetitive documentation, and prolonged cargo clearance times. “The urgency of adopting NSW cannot be overstated. Our economic potential is immense, yet inefficiencies in trade processes have long hindered growth,” he noted.
The National Single Window is a transformative digital solution successfully adopted in countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and Rwanda. It integrates shippers, freight forwarders, banks, customs, port operators, and regulatory agencies into a single, secure, and transparent interface. According to Igwe, this unified system allows traders to submit documents once, ensuring automatic recognition across all relevant agencies and eliminating the need for multiple submissions.
Through the NSW platform, regulatory approvals, permits, licenses, and inspections are tracked and automated in real time. Payments, compliance checks, and cargo releases are seamlessly managed with minimal human intervention, significantly reducing delays and opportunities for corruption. Stakeholders can now process documentation efficiently, ensuring faster cargo clearance and smoother trade operations.
Mr. Tola Fakolade, Director of the National Single Window project, added that beyond operational efficiency, the platform will generate valuable trade data and enforce compliance across the maritime and oil and gas industries. He stressed that the initiative represents a major step toward modernizing Nigeria’s trade ecosystem, attracting investment, and boosting the country’s competitiveness in the global market.
source: Vanguard