The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF) has welcomed the Federal Government’s planned launch of Nigeria’s National Single Window (NSW) trade platform, describing it as one of the most significant economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Ahmad Sajoh, and Secretary, Danjuma Sada, the forum said the initiative would mark a major turning point in the country’s trade system and position Nigeria as a globally competitive trading economy.
The group explained that the National Single Window would replace Nigeria’s long-standing fragmented and paper-based trade processes with a unified digital platform where importers, exporters and logistics operators can submit trade documentation once for access by relevant government agencies.
According to TSF, the “submit once, process everywhere” model will reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks that have historically slowed cargo clearance at the nation’s seaports, airports and land borders.
The forum cited trade data showing that businesses currently face an average compliance timeline of about 362 hours—approximately 15 days—for imports, while export documentation and border processes take about 202 hours, or more than eight days.
It projected that with the introduction of the National Single Window and integrated risk-management systems, these timelines could decrease by about 60 per cent within the first two years of implementation.
This, the group said, could reduce average import processing time to around six days, while export procedures could drop to between three and four days.
“For importers and exporters, time is money. Every day cargo spends trapped in bureaucratic processes translates to higher prices for consumers and reduced competitiveness for Nigerian businesses,” the forum stated.
TSF also noted that the reform could significantly reduce the cost of trade compliance.
It explained that businesses currently spend an average of $1,641 per shipment on import compliance costs and $1,036 on export documentation and border procedures, excluding tariffs and inland transport costs.
With digitalisation and simplified procedures under the National Single Window, the forum estimated that compliance costs could fall by about 15 per cent, saving businesses roughly $246 per import transaction and about $155 per export transaction.
According to the group, the cumulative effect of these savings across Nigeria’s trade ecosystem could amount to billions of naira annually for manufacturers, importers, exporters, logistics companies and small businesses.
TSF also highlighted the revenue potential of the initiative, noting that digitising documentation processes and integrating cargo data across agencies would help curb under-invoicing and documentation fraud, thereby reducing revenue leakages.
Beyond efficiency gains, the forum said the reform would strengthen Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by making Nigerian exports more competitive across African markets.
It added that faster and more predictable border processes would lower logistics costs, strengthen supply chains and encourage investment in export-oriented sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and solid minerals.
The forum emphasised that the success of the National Single Window would depend on strong collaboration among government agencies and full adoption by private sector stakeholders.
It therefore urged trade-related institutions and operators to support the implementation process and fully integrate into the platform so that businesses and consumers can begin to benefit from faster and more transparent trade processes.
TSF further estimated that if the improved transparency and compliance enabled by the system helps Nigeria recover even between one and three per cent of potential customs revenue, the country could generate between ₦70 billion and ₦220 billion in additional annual revenue without increasing tariffs.
