Former President of the Organised Private Sector and Chairman of the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics, Dele Oye, has called for the inclusion of private sector representatives in the implementation of Nigeria’s National Single Trade Window (NSTW), warning that excluding key stakeholders could undermine the success of the initiative.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday on the significance of the platform ahead of its March 27 rollout, Oye described the National Single Trade Window as a major policy shift aimed at simplifying trade processes by providing a single online portal through which businesses can complete regulatory procedures without moving between multiple government agencies.
He noted that the initiative could attract between $2 billion and $3 billion in investment within five years by reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and improving efficiency in trade. According to him, the policy represents one of the most significant trade reforms by the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that previous attempts to introduce the system since 2009 had failed due to resistance from government agencies unwilling to cede control.
Despite commending the strong presidential backing and coordination among agencies, Oye warned that the current structure appears overly government-driven. He stressed that the private sector, which will ultimately use the platform, must be represented in decision-making processes.
Oye said, “The first major reason for its success now, or potential success, is presidential involvement. We’ve not enjoyed that in the past. And second, was the ability of the Chairman of the NRS, Dr. Zacch, to get everyone to work together. This was a major, major milestone. And it is a major milestone. But there are also some bottlenecks. Currently, it’s almost government-centric. Every person there on the platform, they are all government agencies. There’s no private sector member.
“In 2024, when this was launched, I was then the President of NASSIMA. I drew their attention to it, that this thing started in Singapore in 1989. And it’s in over 70 countries. It’s not a local thing we are doing. It’s international. It’s being done in over 70 countries. Ghana has it, Rwanda has it, Mauritius has it. If we intend to meet the same objective, we must involve the private sector in the platform. It’s not a government thing. It’s a trade thing for the private sector. We are the ones to use it. So we must be at the table when decisions are made.
“I can give you an example. I don’t want to criticise it. If you go to the platform and you’re supposed to register, while sitting just now, I tried to click it to register. The link does not work. But if I’m a member or any private sector member, I will quickly call the president of my association to say we have this issue. So we need each other. It’s like having a church without the members or having a hospital without the patients. We must work together.
“If you look at the recent Central Bank reports, it is not the interest rate of the Central Bank at 35% to 36% that has grown the economy. Even though they are being firm and it has been commendable, it has helped for stability, it is the entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector that has saved this country. So anything you do, don’t look down and say the private sector is not a counterpart in the marriage. You cannot marry yourself.”
Melissa Enoch
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