- DHL,NAFDAC, SON, NAQS, NESREA in
By Oluyinka Onigbinde
Contrary to the much-touted expectations that the National Single Window will Go-Live on Friday March 27, 2026, the NSW secretariat only ceremonially on-boarded certain government agencies, even as it curiously excluded key agencies in the maritime sector.
Prior to last Friday, stakeholders had been made to believe that the NSW will roll out its first phase and would Go-Live. However, findings by Shipping Position Daily revealed a slow, skeletal take-off that fell short of industry expectations.
The Federal Government had, in the build-up to the launch, raised hopes of a transformative shift in trade facilitation, with messaging that “Nigeria opens a new window to the world.” However, checks across key stakeholders in Apapa on Friday indicated that the rollout was far from the comprehensive digital integration many had anticipated.
Contrary to expectations of a seamless, multi-agency onboarding, our correspondent confirmed that the system is currently limited in scope, covering only the processing of Licenses, Permits, and Certificates (LPCs) for regulatory agencies including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), only.
Crucially, core trade processes such as ship manifest submissions remain outside the NSW platform, with shipping lines and airlines continue to operate through their existing systems—raising concerns about the level of integration achieved at go-live.
Even more striking is the revelation that the much-publicised pilot phase has yet to commence. Official communications, even about 24 hours to the expected Friday roll-out, had indicated that a structured pilot would begin with Grimaldi Group and DHL Airline over a four-week period.
However, investigations revealed that as of Friday, there was no evidence that the pilot had kicked off with Grimaldi, although DHL operations reportedly started.
Reacting to the development, a senior freight forwarder and member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the NSW rollout as “premature and largely cosmetic.”
“What we are seeing is not a full take-off. You cannot call this a single window when critical processes like manifests are still outside the system. It defeats the purpose of integration,” he said.
Offering a more measured perspective, former National Secretary of ANLCA, Babatunde Mukaila, described the development as a necessary first step despite visible shortcomings.
“I’m very optimistic that finally we are addressing the truth. It’s better to start than not even start at all,” he said.
“We are starting with a phase. There’s going to be a lot of hiccups, including territorial tendencies among government agencies. But having said that, it is still a good day for Nigeria—we need to go this way,” Mukaila added.
He also pointed to infrastructure limitations, particularly network challenges, as a major constraint affecting early operations.
“The major issue so far is the network. The single window is still operating within Nigeria’s epileptic network environment. A lot of users trying to onboard are facing issues, especially with the last-minute rush. That traffic, I believe, is part of the problem,” he explained.
Similarly, a chieftain of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) expressed concern over what he termed “policy overstatement,” noting that operators were left confused on the actual scope of the platform.
“Many of us stayed up preparing for a total migration today, only to realise that it is just for a few agencies. Government needs to manage expectations better,” he stated.
From the maritime operators’ perspective, a shipping line executive who is familiar with operations at Apapa ports said the absence of the full pilot phase raised credibility issues.
“If the pilot with Grimaldi Group has not even started, then what exactly went live today? This should have been clearly communicated as a phased rollout, not a full go-live,” he argued.
On the regulatory side, an official of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), who declined to be named, admitted that integration is still ongoing, but defended the approach as “gradual and strategic.”
“We are starting with what is ready. The idea is to avoid system collapse by overloading it from day one. Other components will come in phases,” the official explained.
Providing official clarification, the Head of Media for the NSW, Femi Ogundoro, confirmed that operations have begun.
“We have taken off and have gone live. We started with DHL this morning and we are currently at our office in Apapa,” he said.
Ogundoro further explained that the pilot phase involving Grimaldi Group would commence within the next four weeks.
“For Grimaldi, we are piloting in the next four weeks,” he added.
Responding to complaints about network difficulties, he suggested that the issue may not be systemic. “If they are having network issues, probably they are using the wrong TIN numbers,” he stated, urging affected users to reach out for support.
However, a port user and importer and a members of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) warned that the current situation could erode confidence if not quickly addressed. He however pleaded anonymity.
“The private sector was expecting efficiency gains immediately. If this drags on without clarity, it may affect compliance and trust in the system,” he said.
