Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian National Single Window, NSW, project has entered an advanced phase, with key agencies reaffirming their commitment to its early 2026 operational target.
The initiative, launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in April 2024, is expected to revolutionise trade facilitation by cutting clearance times, lowering costs, and curbing revenue leakages.
At a series of high-level meetings in Abuja, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir 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 and accelerate integration timelines.
FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji, during a follow-up session, expressed satisfaction with the pace of progress.
“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,” he said.
Director of the National Single Window, Tola Fakolade, confirmed that a nationwide stakeholder engagement exercise will kick off in October across Nigeria’s four zones, alongside bi-weekly technical meetings to address integration gaps.
“As part of the implementation of the Single Window Project, there has been approval for the release of funds for the support of different MDAs, especially when it comes to IT infrastructure,” Fakolade stated.
“We’d also like approval to visit the various commands to figure out if there’s any support they might need so as to make this a reality.”
On his part, CGC Bashiru Adeniyi assured that Customs remains fully committed to the project, noting that the Service is both meeting its technical obligations and driving the broader vision of a seamless trade system.
“We are going to deliver on this mandate. At the rate that we are currently striking agreements on so many of these issues, I want to believe we would be right on target,” he said.
“I would like to reiterate our support for the build-up towards the implementation of the National Single Window.”
When completed, the NSW will serve as a digital hub linking multiple government agencies, streamlining cargo clearance, boosting transparency, and positioning Nigeria as a more competitive global trading hub.
