The Federal Government is moving to tighten revenue collection in Nigeria’s export sector and eliminate loopholes that have facilitated revenue leakages, with the second phase of the National Single Window Project scheduled to commence on December 14.
The initiative will bring export permits, regulatory approvals and trade documentation handled by multiple government agencies onto a unified digital platform, in a major overhaul expected to strengthen compliance, improve transparency and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks in international trade.
Director of the National Single Window Project, Mr Tola Fakolade, disclosed this during a stakeholder sensitisation meeting in Port Harcourt, where he said the government was seeking to replicate the compliance gains recorded during the project’s first phase, which focused largely on import processes.
Fakolade said multiple revenue leakages had characterised Nigeria’s import and export operations over the years, noting that the introduction of a centralised digital platform had helped address some of the weaknesses by compelling traders to comply with regulatory requirements.
“One of the testimonials we got from some of the agencies on the first phase is that because of the enforced compliance on the platform, it actually forces users to be compliant. And when there’s compliance, then there’s a blockage of revenue leakage,” he said.
He expressed confidence that extending the platform to export operations would deliver similar results, particularly in a country seeking to strengthen its export base and diversify its economy.
According to him, the first batch of the second phase, scheduled to go live on December 14, will cover the issuance of export permits by regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Federal Produce Inspection Service.
The platform will enable exporters to process relevant documentation through a single digital point instead of navigating separate systems operated by individual government agencies.
Fakolade explained that under the first phase, traders no longer needed to visit different agency platforms to submit licences, permits and certificates, as the process had been consolidated into one system.
He said the export component would build on that arrangement, with the second phase divided into two batches to ensure a gradual implementation.
The project director disclosed that preparations for the December launch had reached an advanced stage following the completion of user acceptance testing, while end-user training was scheduled to commence on November 16.
He urged exporters and other stakeholders to register for the training to understand the new procedures before the system becomes operational.
Fakolade said the project team had embarked on a nationwide sensitisation campaign, with engagements already held in Enugu, Akure, Jos and Lagos, while Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja were covered in the ongoing exercise.
Also speaking, the Controller of Customs in charge of Modernisation in the ICT Department of the Nigeria Customs Service, Aondona Christopher Fanyam, said the project was a collaborative effort involving Customs, the National Single Window Secretariat and other government agencies.
He said the objective was to integrate previously fragmented and non-digitalised documentation processes into a unified system that would eliminate repeated submissions and improve the efficiency of export transactions.
“Basically, what we are doing here is, we are working as a team, Nigerian Customs and other MDAs, and the National Single Window Secretariat to ensure that all those documents that are not digitalised are digitalised and integrated with the existing trade application and the National Single Window for seamless operation and efficiency,” Fanyam said.
He explained that the system would allow relevant government agencies to access documents submitted by exporters from a common platform, rather than requiring traders to provide the same information repeatedly.
Fanyam said the digital arrangement would also reduce errors associated with manual documentation, particularly the submission of incorrect or inconsistent documents that could create complications during export processing.
“Now with the digital, you only need the reference number of that documentation to be able to call that documentation from the National Single Window and use it,” he said.
While describing the first phase as successful, the Customs official acknowledged that its implementation exposed challenges relating to change management, knowledge gaps and inadequate capacity among some users.
He said those challenges were being addressed through the sensitisation and training programmes organised ahead of the export phase.
Meanwhile, the Chief Trade Promotion Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Moboni Alemika, called on exporters, government agencies and other stakeholders to actively participate in the implementation process, stressing that the success of the platform would depend largely on its acceptance and effective use.
Alemika said the sensitisation exercise provided an opportunity for stakeholders to understand the system, raise concerns and offer suggestions that could improve its operations.
She urged participants not to remain passive but to ask questions and share their experiences to ensure that the platform addressed the practical challenges confronting exporters.
“This national window is for everyone. Customs is committed to transparency, and we want everyone to understand what is happening, how the process works and what is expected of them,” she said.
Alemika also emphasised that the initiative was not a publicity exercise but a practical intervention intended to promote transparency and improve the country’s trade administration.
“Let me also clarify that what we are doing is not window dressing. We are not creating a platform merely for appearances or public relations. This is a genuine initiative designed to promote transparency, encourage engagement and ensure that the process works in practice,” she declared.
She commended the participating government agencies, including quarantine services, for their cooperation and urged them to sustain the collaboration.
With the December 14 deadline approaching, attention is now turning to the readiness of exporters and regulatory agencies to operate the new system, particularly in addressing the capacity and change-management challenges identified during the first phase.
The effectiveness of the overhaul will ultimately depend on whether the unified platform can translate its promise of improved compliance into measurable reductions in revenue leakages, faster export documentation and more efficient trade operations.
