Nigeria to launch national single window to boost international trading in Q1 2026

….as FG strengthen trade reforms, AFCTA implementation

The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria’s National Single Window (NSW), a digital platform designed to streamline trade processes and boost export efficiency, will become operational in the first quarter of 2026.

Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, disclosed this at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES31) in Abuja.

Oduwole also underscored the government’s commitment to accelerating non-oil exports and improving trade facilitation through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework, noting that trade diversification remains a central element of the Renewed 8-Point Agenda, with item number seven focusing on export acceleration.

“We’ve gone back to examine the foundations of our trade relationships, engaging both old and new partners. Our goal is to coordinate what has been happening in the Nigerian economy over the past five years within the AfCFTA framework,”

“At the beginning of the year, the Ministry released an outlook document stating our priorities for the year, from investment mobilisation to our trade policy review, to industrial policy, and of course, driving exports diversification.

“One of the pillars that I’ll rest on this morning is our use of the AFCTA as a strategic driver for rebalancing our normal exports. In Q1, the Central Bank released that year-on-year, exports from Nigeria to the rest of Africa had increased by 24 per cent year-on-year.

“We’ve worked significantly on our national single window. That will be coming live in Q1 of 2026,”

According to her, Nigeria has made tangible progress, including conducting a five-year review of AfCFTA implementation, establishing a central coordination committee for AfCFTA to guide stakeholders.

She also stated that Nigeria has submitted its schedule of tariffs to the AfCFTA secretariat, leading as Africa’s digital trade champion, a title conferred by the African Union.

Oduwole also disclosed that Nigeria has also launched an Air Capital Corridor in partnership with Uganda Air, opening trade routes to 13 African countries for goods such as apparel, cosmetics, and light manufacturing products.

This initiative, she noted, has reduced air freight costs by up to 75 per cent, significantly boosting trade access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

She added that Nigeria’s first Trade Intelligence Toolkit has been deployed to support exporters.

“We’re not only planning policies; we are implementing them. These actions are giving life to AfCFTA and strengthening Nigeria’s trade competitiveness,” Oduwole said

She further disclosed that the Ministry is negotiating new trade and investment agreements with Nicaragua, Gulf nations, and Brazil, while working closely with the Office of the Vice President and the Ministry of Agriculture on export diversification and deforestation regulations.

Highlighting a recent success, Oduwole cited Nigeria’s collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Government of Japan, which prevented the rejection of Nigerian sesame exports, a commodity that makes up 40 per cent of Japan’s consumption.

The Minister also mentioned ongoing efforts to enhance customs coordination.

“The ease of doing business part, working with businesses on specific issues, and then other agencies like the work of Nigerian Customs Service, the accelerated de-risking of certain businesses for fast track of their exports and imports, and those are some of the practical steps, some of the companies in this room have had that accreditation, the first round happened, and then we expanded in the later time,” Oduwole said.