The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in collaboration with the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), on Tuesday 25 February 2020, inaugurated a 26-member committee in Lagos with the aim of researching and recommending procedures that simplify trade procedures and avert trade bottlenecks.
The Nigeria-UN/CEFACT Trade Facilitation Committee (NUTFAC) functions to streamline the documentation procedures and promotion of a single window for exporters is working in tandem with the National Committee on the Single Window chaired by the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibajo. The single window for export is a trade facilitation mechanism that allows the submission of all trade-related documents for exporters at a single entry point.
At the workshop, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and champion for zero-oil export in Nigeria, in his keynote address commented, “In line with UN/CEFACT’s drive to introduce workable e-business solutions, the Single Window for export is aimed at opening up opportunities for Nigeria by increasing benefits from international trade and contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction.” He further expressed that “the committee marks an important turning point in Nigeria’s quest to re-establish a collaboration between the Public and Organised Private Sector (OPS) in addressing the growing challenges of trade.”
In his presentation, Mr Aleksei Bondarenko, UN/CEFACT Single Window Domain Coordinator and Professor of MGIMO University, Russia advocated, “every country should be a part of the single window, and for it to be effective, a common trading language between the government and businesses is pivotal for success”. He added, “Only a few countries have a single window, because in practice what I have experienced in my over five years practical experience, is countries have multiple entry points which negate the ability to share information seamlessly.”
The committee comprises of institutions from both the public and private sectors; Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA-Group), Nigerian Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), MAN Export Group, Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Produce Inspection Service (FPIS), Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS),
Others are the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers in Nigeria, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Association of Nigerian Exporters (ANE), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Ease of Doing Business Secretariat, Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). The aforementioned have a shared objective of harmonizing Nigeria’s trade procedures and simplification of documentation.
