The Federal Government on Wednesday hinted on its plans to roll out a National Single Window digital trade platform on March 27 to create a unified electronic system that connects every government agency and stakeholder involved in import and export activities.
The platform, which will serve as the central hub for coordinating the nation’s merchandise trade-related processes, will be hosted by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the scheduled launch time of the digital trade platform during a high-level stakeholders’ forum at the State House in Abuja, where key ministers, agency heads and senior officials converged to assess its readiness.
A statement issued by Presidential Special Adviser, Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, quoted Gbajabiamila as describing the initiative as a desirable step toward overhauling the nation’s merchandize trade and its improving its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
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The statement partly reads: “He traced the project’s origins to President Bola Tinubu’s vision nearly two years ago, describing it as a comprehensive fiscal overhaul designed to simplify procedures, boost operational efficiency and sharpen Nigeria’s global edge in commerce.
“We are about to launch yet another reform, fiscal reform by this administration, which in its nature will be very transformational.
“As the name suggests, it is a single national window as opposed to multiple single windows.
“This meeting is to review the progress we have made and get your commitment that we will manage this transition smoothly”, Onanuga added.
In her remarks at the forum, the National Single Window Coordinator, Tola Fakolade, advised all participating agencies to enhance their systems before the launch of the platform, pointing out that the initial rollout will cover digital handling of import permits, fully electronic cargo manifest filings and the activation of a unified risk assessment framework.
Noting that training sessions for users of the platform have already commenced, with trial operations scheduled to commence shortly to guarantee a seamless transition, Fakolade explained that cargo manifests would be filed online and routed to the appropriate authorities without any manual handling.
He clarified: “The support that we need from each of the agencies is even more critical now. Documents will be submitted once and shared with all relevant agencies without duplication.”
Commenting on the initiative, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, assured his ministry’s full backing for the initiative.
Also, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described the National Single Window digital trade platform as a cornerstone of the government’s broader reform drive, adding that
the platform is long overdue and vowed to work closely with all partners over the coming three weeks to educate traders, importers and exporters on the new system.
Similarly, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, pledged the bank’s assistance, in the operations of the platform in view of the urgency of bridging Nigeria’s trade facilitation shortfall compared with peer nations.
In his remarks, the NRS Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, solicited all stakeholders’ collaboration in order to ensure hitch-free operations of the digital platform, and urged the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment to help in creating maximum awareness and oversee the concluding implementation stage preparatory to the launch of the platform.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, said the project represented a landmark achievement in the country’s trade history and promised sustained direct dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure its success.
