KEY POINTS
- Agencies assess National Single Window performance, identify rollout challenges
- Government to engage stakeholders on waiving demurrage for affected containers
- Officials express confidence in system’s long-term impact on trade efficiency
MAIN STORY
The Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) have conducted a joint assessment visit to the National Single Window (NSW) office in Apapa, Lagos, as part of efforts to strengthen trade facilitation and resolve emerging operational challenges.
The visit, which took place on Tuesday, brought together key stakeholders to review progress since the platform’s launch, address teething issues, and outline strategies for improved performance.
Chairman of NRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, commended President Bola Tinubu for actualising the long-delayed project, noting that previous attempts had failed. He acknowledged concerns raised by stakeholders over initial operational hitches and assured that measures were being considered to cushion the impact on traders.
“This is a special period. We will engage terminal operators and relevant stakeholders to ensure that demurrage charges are waived on affected containers,” Adedeji said.
He explained that some delays were linked to the complexity of migrating data from legacy systems, stressing that only a fraction of transactions had been affected. According to him, the overall adoption of the platform by stakeholders remains encouraging.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the visit as a critical review exercise aimed at evaluating system performance and ensuring continuous improvement.
“We are here to see what progress we’ve recorded, what challenges there have been, and what we do moving forward to ensure that we get over those challenges,” Adeniyi said.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the initiative, declaring that the National Single Window would “revolutionise the trading environment” and enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness.
Adeniyi acknowledged that initial glitches were inevitable but noted that several issues—such as manifest uploads and shipping integration—had already been resolved, while stakeholder training was ongoing.
PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Mustapha Audu, described the NSW as a key component of Nigeria’s ease-of-doing-business reforms, expressing optimism about its potential to significantly reduce cargo clearance timelines.
“Yes, we will have teething problems because it’s a software… I see this as definitely progress for Nigeria,” she said.
THE ISSUES
The rollout of the National Single Window has been accompanied by operational challenges, including delays linked to data migration, system integration issues, and stakeholder adaptation. These have raised concerns among traders over increased costs, particularly demurrage on delayed cargo.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
Stakeholders remain largely supportive of the initiative despite early setbacks.
Adedeji emphasised that adoption levels indicate broad acceptance within the trading community.
Adeniyi insisted that the platform is irreversible and will deliver long-term economic benefits.
Audu highlighted technology-driven reform as essential to improving Nigeria’s trade environment.
WHAT’S NEXT
Authorities plan to intensify stakeholder engagement, expand training programmes, and collaborate with terminal operators to mitigate the financial burden on affected traders. There is also renewed focus on meeting the Federal Government’s cargo dwell time target of under seven days, with prospects of further reduction.
BOTTOM LINE
Despite initial implementation challenges, Nigeria’s National Single Window initiative is gaining traction, with key government agencies aligning efforts to streamline port operations, reduce costs, and position the country for a more competitive global trade environment.
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