President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that Nigeria's National Single Window (NSW) digital trade platform become fully operational by the first quarter of 2026, signaling a major milestone in the country's economic reform and trade facilitation agenda.
The directive was delivered during the fifth steering committee meeting held at the State House, Abuja, and conveyed by the President's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who reaffirmed the administration's commitment to modernizing Nigeria's trade environment and achieving a $1 trillion economy.
Gbajabiamila stressed the urgency of staying on track, especially in light of the recent Tax Reform Acts signed into law in June, and highlighted the NSW as a key pillar in boosting investment, transparency, and international trade competitiveness.
"The NSW is one of the President's transformational initiatives, and we must remain focused to ensure Phase 1 goes live by Q1 2026," he said.
The National Single Window is a unified electronic platform designed to consolidate and streamline the activities of all regulatory agencies involved in import and export operations. Once completed, it will allow businesses—particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—to submit trade documentation through a single online portal, reducing delays, paperwork, and costs at the ports.
Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, described the initiative as complex but transformational, urging stakeholders to shift from planning to delivery. He called on the steering committee to intensify collaboration and overcome any remaining bottlenecks.
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Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole echoed this, urging committee members to meet the 2026 deadline without fail.
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), praised the President for backing the reform, noting that the Single Window initiative is now backed by law. "We now move from vision to execution," he said.
Tola Fakolade, Director of the NSW Project, confirmed that all Q2 2025 milestones have been achieved, and the customisation phase of the platform is underway, with full implementation on course.
Launched in April 2024, the National Single Window is expected to accelerate trade, reduce port delays, cut red tape, and make Nigerian exports more globally competitive. For SMEs and import-export businesses, it will ease compliance, lower trade costs, and improve transparency—making it easier to do business in Nigeria.
The NSW Steering Committee comprises key stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service, among others.
