Chairman, Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics (AERE), Hon. Dele Kelvin Oye, said the proposed customs National Single Window (NSW) could unlock about $3 billion in logistics investment and generate about $18 million in annual efficiency savings for the country.
He said if implemented with strong private sector participation, the platform holds enormous economic potential for the country.
Oye however, faulted the government’s decision to domicile the NSW in the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), rather than the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC).
The NSW is a centralised digital trade platform that enables importers, exporters, and freight forwarders to submit all regulatory documents (permits, manifests) through a single portal.
It integrates various government agency systems to streamline trade, aiming to reduce clearance times to 24 hours, allowing users to submit, process, and receive approvals for international trade documentation in one place rather than visiting multiple agencies.
The platform which is set to go live on March 27, 2026, marks a shift towards modernising trade and logistics, integrating agencies like the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), NAFDAC, SON, and Nigerian Ports Authority.
However, Oye, in a statement, said, “But here lies the paradox: Nigeria has chosen to domicile this trade facilitation tool under its tax authority rather than its trade promotion agency.
“This makes Nigeria an outlier. When Singapore pioneered the world’s first Single Window in 1989, TradeNet, it placed it under the Trade Development Board, an economic agency focused on competitiveness, not revenue collection.
“Ghana’s successful GCNet operates as a Public-Private Partnership with 60% private ownership. Rwanda, while using its Revenue Authority, ensures deep integration with the Rwanda Development Board. Nigeria’s model risks conflating trade facilitation with tax enforcement.”
According to him, the NRS secured legislative backing through the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, embedding the NSW within a fiscal rather than economic framework.
He said while Dr. Zacch Adedeji’s leadership at NRS had driven unprecedented inter -agency collaboration, the “question remains: can a tax agency truly prioritise trader convenience over revenue maximisation?”
Oye said, “When I was National President of NACCIMA, I sounded the alarm. Speaking at the 2024 NEXHUB Export Conference, I appealed to President Bola Tinubu for increased private sector involvement and a restructuring of the National Steering Committee to be more inclusive.
“The Organized Private Sector of Nigeria, was subsequently invited to constitute a Private Sector Consultative Forum in June 2025. The National Single Window initiative represents the frontline of trade freight forwarders, exporters, port operators, banks. Their buy-in is not optional; it is existential.
“The global evidence is unambiguous. Singapore’s TradeNet processes 99% of permits within 10 minutes. Rwanda’s Single Window saved $18 million dollars annually and reduced import time from 11 days to 1.5 days. Ghana’s GCNet cut clearance steps from 12 officers to 3. These successes share a common thread: private sector leadership or deep partnership.”
He said, “Nigeria must choose. Will the NSW be a tool for extracting revenue, or a platform for unleashing trade?”
Oye however, recommended the immediate domiciliation of the NSW at the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), with NRS as a stakeholder, not leader. This aligns with global best practice and positions Nigeria as an AfCFTA hub rather than a customs checkpoint.
“March 27, 2026, can mark Nigeria’s arrival as a trade -friendly nation or merely the fourth chapter in a history of missed opportunities. The difference lies not in the technology, but in who controls it
He explained that the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics (AERE) LTD/GTE is a Nigerian non-profit working to strengthen both the private and public sectors in Nigeria, noting that “It achieves this by conducting independent evidence -based research, advocating for sensible policies, providing regulatory support for businesses, bringing stakeholders together, and promoting transparent ethical reforms to improve Nigeria’s “Ease of Doing Business”.
Nonetheless, he noted that once operational, the system could cut cargo clearance time at Nigerian ports from the current 18 to 21 days to under 48 hours, reducing delays that have long undermined the country’s trade competitiveness.
Oye, who also serves as the Chairman of the Nigeria-Turkiye Business Council, further pointed out that the success of the reform will depend largely on the level of private sector involvement in the governance and implementation of the platform.
He said, “After three failed attempts, March 27 launch offers chance to get trade facilitation right but only if private sector takes the wheel
“Nigeria stands on the precipice of a trade revolution. On March 27, 2026, one of Africa’s largest economies will launch Phase One of its National Single Window (NSW), a digital platform designed to transform the chaotic landscape of import and export procedures into a seamless, single-portal experience. For an economy hemorrhaging competitiveness due to bureaucratic red tape, this is momentous.
“Yet history warns us: this is Nigeria’s fourth attempt at implementing a Single Window. The previous three collapsed under the weight of inter -agency rivalry, lack of political will, and institutional resistance.
“The stakes could not be higher. The NSW, spearheaded by Director Tola Fakolade at the National Single Window Secretariat, promises to slash cargo clearance times from 18- 2 1 days to under 48 hours, eliminate duplicate documentation, and inject $2 -3 billion-dollars in private logistics investment over five years.”
He said, “The platform integrates every agency touching trade Nigeria Customs Service, NAFDAC, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Nigerian Ports Authority, NIMASA, and the newly empowered Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) into one digital ecosystem where traders/users submit documents once, pay online, and track cargo in real-time.”
James Emejo
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