President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Single Window Steering Committee to ensure that the digital trade facilitation platform becomes fully operational by the first quarter of 2026. The directive was conveyed on Tuesday during the fifth steering committee meeting at the State House, Abuja, where the President was represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
In a statement following the meeting, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President emphasised the urgency of accelerating reforms to support Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy. Tinubu noted that the recently signed Tax Reform Acts underscored the need for financial and trade efficiency to drive national economic transformation.
Gbajabiamila highlighted the National Single Window (NSW) as a key initiative to streamline Nigeria’s import and export processes, enhance transparency, and improve trade revenues, noting that the platform would strengthen the country’s global business credibility.
“It is important that we stay focused on this project so we can meet our timelines and deliver the results the President expects,” Gbajabiamila said, urging agencies to refine their targets and key performance indicators to meet the Phase 1 rollout deadline.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, described the project as “complex but transformational,” calling for a shift from planning to execution to meet the Q1 2026 launch target.
Similarly, Minister of Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, charged the committee to ensure diligent work towards meeting the deadline, while the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, thanked the President for his consistent support of the initiative.
“The reward for hard work is more work,” Adedeji said, urging committee members to remain focused as the project moves towards implementation.
The Director of the National Single Window Project, Tola Fakolade, reported that all key milestones for Q2 2025 had been achieved, with customisation of the platform now underway. Fakolade assured the committee that the timeline for the project’s rollout would be met.
Launched in April 2024, the National Single Window project aims to consolidate all trade-related agencies onto a unified electronic platform to simplify import and export processes, reduce costs, cut delays, and enhance efficiency at Nigerian ports.
Committee members include representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Investment, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service.
