Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intensified efforts to roll out the National Single Window, NSW, project, positioning it as a key reform to modernise Nigeria’s trade system, accelerate cargo clearance, and strengthen revenue generation.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement with airline and shipping line operators in Abuja, the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, emphasised the importance of collaboration in ensuring the successful implementation of the digital trade platform.
He said the initiative aligns with the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to position Nigeria as a major player in global trade through improved efficiency and transparency.
“The President has mandated the Service to take a bold step forward towards a successful launch of the National Single Window,” Adeniyi said. “Airline and shipping line operators remain vital partners in ensuring a seamless transition to the new system.
The Customs chief noted that the service has already recorded significant progress in its modernisation drive due to the support of industry stakeholders and partner agencies.
To ensure a smooth migration to the new digital framework, Adeniyi said the NCS is putting in place support mechanisms to assist operators during the transition.
“A help desk with well-trained personnel will be available to address any operational challenges that may arise during the rollout,” he stated.
Earlier, during an awareness programme, the Service rallied key stakeholders and government agencies behind the initiative, describing the National Single Window as a major reform that will enhance trade facilitation, inter-agency coordination, and revenue collection.
The Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, said the project represents a significant milestone in Customs’ technology-driven transformation.
“This is a national project, but Customs is at the centre of its execution,” Adebakin said. “The success of the Single Window depends on collective understanding and cooperation. We must all appreciate its value because we cannot effectively promote what we do not fully understand.”
She explained that the digital platform is designed to strengthen institutional capacity rather than replace personnel, noting that technology will improve efficiency, transparency, and speed in cargo clearance and documentation processes.
Also speaking, the Director of the NSW Project, Tola Fakolade, commended the leadership role of the NCS in driving the initiative.
“Our number one stakeholder is the NCS,” Fakolade said. “We have maintained a strong and constructive working relationship. Customs’ participation and institutional experience are critical to the success of this project.”
The National Single Window system, according Customs, will allow traders to submit documentation through a single digital portal, reducing bureaucratic delays and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.
