President Tinubu activates National Single Window Steering Committee to enhance trade efficiency

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday 16th April, 2024, inaugurated the Steering Committee on the Implementation of the National Single Window Project.

The project is in line with a determined move to burst the red tape evident in administrative bottlenecks and allied bureaucracies in order enhance trade facilitation and efficiency within the nation’s import and export value chain.

The Committee is composed of representatives from key federal ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Marine and Blue Economy, Transportation, Trade and Investment, as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Other agencies involved are the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA),  Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

The Single Window solution, according to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), interconnects all stakeholders involved in foreign trade and enables them to perform trade procedures on one platform.

The Single Window provides a comprehensive online environment for all governmental and business users such as importers, exporters, declarants, commercial banks, carriers, Customs, ministries, and other government agencies to perform trade operations.

By simplifying and automating Customs and trade processes, traders and government agents benefit from smoother processes that enable a reduction of clearance times. The Unified Trade Window secures government revenue and improves the overall country’s image in international trade indicators.

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, who was named by the President as part of the Implementation Committee, had earlier led the NPA to enlist the technical guidance of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)in preparedness for the seamless implementation of NSW with the Authority’s finalization of the consultancy for the Port Community System, which lays the groundwork for the National Single Window.

The project is expected to facilitate paperless trade and provide an annual economic benefit of around $2.7 billion, contributing to national revenue and improving port efficiency.

President Tinubu emphasised the importance of the initiative. He said, “Nigeria cannot afford to lose an estimated $4 billion annually due to bureaucratic delays, red tape, and corruption at the nation’s ports. By embracing the single window system, Nigeria hopes to join countries like Singapore, Korea, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia that have already experienced significant improvements in trade efficiency,” he stated.

The Nigeria Customs Service said it  supports the initiative as it aligns with the service’s goal of enhancing trade facilitation and national security.