President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday has directed the Minister of Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole to ensure the platform becomes fully operational by the first quarter of 2026.
The National Single Window project is a Federal Government initiative designed to streamline Nigeria’s merchandise trade processes by creating a centralised electronic platform for importers and exporters.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu Sets First Quarter 2026 Target For The Take-Off Of National Single Window Project’ disclosed that the President, who was represented at the meeting by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave the order during the 5th meeting of the Steering Committee held at the State House, Abuja
He quoted Gbajabiamila as saying that the recent Tax Reform Acts, signed into law in June, underscores the urgency of accelerating reforms and pursuing Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy target, stressing the importance of financial and trade reforms in achieving national economic transformation.
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He said: “It’s important that we continue to stay focused on this project. So that at the end of the day, we meet our timelines and achieve the results the President expects.
“As you all are aware, the project is one of the transformative initiatives of Mr. President which we collectively must ensure is effectively and commendably implemented”, Gbajabiamila added.
He harped on the role of a unified electronic platform in simplifying Nigeria’s import and export operations and that the NSW would boost investment and trade revenues, improve transparency, and strengthen Nigeria’s global business credibility.
In addition, the President’s Chief of Staff urged all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to ensure that their targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) meet the Phase 1 timeline set by the President.
He clarified: “I do expect that since the last meeting of the steering committee, which was held on April 8, 2025, all stakeholders have operated and actively progressed with all the required KPIs and set targets to ensure that we go live with phase 1 in Q1 2026 as was previously scheduled.”
In his remarks, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, lauded the committee on the progress made so far on the SWF but also charged the members on the need to shift from strategy to actual implementation of the project.
He charged the committee to improve collaboration and resolve final hurdles to meet the rollout timeline.
Speaking at the forum, Minister of Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, also advised the committee to work diligently in order to meet the Q1 2026 timeline set by the President.
In his remarks, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, thanked the President behalf of the steering committee for consistently supporting the project.
The tax expert said: “We thank you for the relentless support that you have given to us. And to all my colleagues here, we can see that the reward for hard work is more work. When we started last month, it is now law; the single window is now in the law.”
Also, the Director of the National Single Window Project, Tola Fakolade, gave a brief overview of the steering committee’s progress toward implementing the project, adding that “all second quarter 2025 key project milestones have been successfully achieved. And the customisation of the Single window platform has commenced.”
He promised that the committee would work to meet the timelines.
The NSW, which was launched in April 2024, is a digital trade facilitation platform expected to accelerate economic growth and facilitate cross-border transactions by integrating all agencies involved in imports and exports into a unified electronic portal.
Based on its objectives, the NSW is expected to reduce trade costs, cut delays, and enhance transparency and efficiency at Nigerian ports.
The membership of the committee comprised representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Investments, Ministry of Finance, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service.
