Nigeria’s National Single Window (NSW) platform has processed 156,026 licences, permits and certificates since its launch on March 27, 2026, as the Federal Government advances plans to expand the digital trade facilitation system to cover export-related services.
The project team disclosed this on Tuesday during a stakeholder engagement with the press in Abuja, where it presented an update on the implementation of Phase 1 and preparations for Phase 2.
The NSW platform is designed to centralise trade-related regulatory processes, reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve the movement of goods across Nigeria’s borders.
According to the project team, more than 12,000 importers, customs agents, shipping lines, airlines and freight forwarders have registered on the platform, while over 8,000 users have received training since operations began.
Five government agencies have been fully onboarded, with the platform recording an overall uptime of 99.98 per cent.
The update showed that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) accounted for 104,956 processed licences and permits, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) accounted for 50,622.
The platform has also processed 3,964 air and sea cargo manifests, comprising 3,596 air cargo manifests transmitted by 27 airlines and 368 sea manifests submitted by 56 shipping lines.
The team said all airlines and air cargo companies had been onboarded, while 56 of the 88 shipping lines had completed onboarding for sea manifest transmission.
The project team said the submission, processing and approval of import licences, permits and certificates for NAFDAC, SON, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) had been fully implemented.
Payments relating to the licences, permits and certificates are also being processed through the platform.
On the harmonisation of Harmonised System (HS) Codes, the team said rationalisation workshops had been conducted with relevant regulatory agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service.
The harmonised codes are expected to be updated on both the NSW platform and the B’Odogwu system by November 2026.
The onboarding of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for Ships Entry Notice (SEN) submission is also underway, with the service scheduled to go live on November 16.
The project team said implementation of Phase 2 had commenced, with delivery scheduled in stages between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.
The second phase will introduce export-related licences, permits and certificates, Forms NXP and NCX, export manifests, Import Duty Exemption Certificates (IDEC), import and export permits for Free Trade Zones, and payment services for export documentation.
The first batch, scheduled to go live in the fourth quarter of 2026, includes the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Federal Produce Inspection Service (FPIS), the Registered Exporter System (REX) under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, SON, NAFDAC and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
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The second batch, scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, will involve the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Customs Service, NAQS, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
According to the project team, implementation has progressed through current-state and technology-readiness assessments, future-state design and system customisation.
User acceptance testing, pilot testing and end-user training are also planned as part of preparations for the phased rollout.
The team projected that Phase 3 would be implemented between the third and fourth quarters of 2027.
The phase is expected to introduce Customs Declaration submission, Form M application and approval, oil and gas processes, Advanced Risk Analytics and a Trade Visualisation System.
The planned expansion is intended to bring additional trade and regulatory processes into the digital platform, further integrating procedures currently handled across different agencies.
The stakeholder engagement provided an opportunity for journalists to receive updates on implementation milestones and seek clarification from the project team.
The team urged stakeholders to continue using the platform and contact its help desk for assistance where necessary.
