With the first phase of the National Single Window (NSW) set to launch on March 27, 2026, freight forwarders in the Eastern zone of Nigeria have called for the actualisation of a 48-hour timeframe for the clearance of cargo at ports.
This was against the backdrop of increasing port delays and challenges that have seen ships’ dwell time exceed 20 days at the nation’s major sea ports.
Peter Ekunkoya, member of the project team implementing the National Single Window, while speaking at a townhall meeting held in Port Harcourt on Tuesday February 24, 2026, noted that Nigeria’s current dwell time contrasts sharply with global benchmarks, such as four days in Durban.
The NSW, he explained, is a centralized electronic platform, designed to streamline international trade processes by allowing traders to submit all required documentation through a single entry point, thus reducing paperwork and delays.
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Ekunkoya said the NSW seeks to “lower transactional costs, enhance transparency, and increase revenue. Where more than one agency is regulating a product, we would ultimately use technology to streamline the process. At the end of the day, we are working on harmonizing those HS codes so that there is a primary agency that will be responsible and it will reduce the overlap.”
Asked if the system can be manipulated, he said, “Everything is linked end to end and you can see there’s a lot of visibility and transparency.
“Single window exists in more than 80 countries around the world. Some are even larger than us. In Canada, in the US, in UAE, there are Single Windows. So we are benchmarking with global best practice, but also taking into cognizance our local dynamics and nuances and complexities. All of this has been addressed.
“I think where it starts from is that we are all working towards the same goal. As long as we are working towards the same goal, where there are friction areas, we would resolve them. So far, I’ve received a lot of good cooperation from the agencies, and in fairness, they are actually excited about it largely because everybody believes that it makes it (the system) fair,” Ekunkoya said.
Ifeanyi Isikaku, Chairman of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Seaport chapter, said his group identifies with the NSW’s aim of making cargo clearance more efficient for port users.
Isikaku noted that the Single Window is expected “to quicken the clearance of cargoes at the port and eliminate delays, all the things that cause delay. Especially where you have issue with NAFDAC, SON or other agencies at the port, you don’t need to go to their various offices. Everybody will be in that window and they will see everything happening. So whoever you (clearing agent) have issue with, that issue will be treated immediately.
“It’s something that government has brought to us and we all have accepted it because it’s going to quicken the clearance of cargoes in the port,” he said.
Isikaku however pointed out that, “Before now, we have been advocating for 48 hours clearance of cargoes and to eliminate any atom of delay in the port. So what it means is that the government have heard our cries and they are all here bringing this Single Window program, to make sure that our cargoes leave the port within 48 hours.
Ralph John, professor and President of the umbrella body of Maritime journalists in the region, the Coalition of Maritime Journalists Associations of Nigeria (COMJAN), expressed belief that the NSW will simplify operations at the ports.
John pointed out that the Single Window initiative not only promotes efficiency at the ports, but also affords Nigeria the opportunity of aligning with global best practices.
He urged the Federal Government to ensure full implementation of the NSW, describing the loss in time and productivity at the ports as counterproductive for national development.
The National Single Window was launched in August 2024 by the Finance Minister, with implementation led by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
Nigeria’s implementation of the project focuses on phased rollout, starting with statutory permits and cargo manifests to align with global trade facilitation standards like the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.
