Two months after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a committee to implement the National Single Window (NSW) platform, stakeholders in the maritime and logistics sectors have expressed frustration over the lack of political will, insufficient ICT infrastructure, and exclusion of key industry players.
The committee, which was set up in April 2024 under the Ministry of Finance, aimed to streamline and digitize Nigeria’s trade and customs processes, however checks by our correspondent revealed that progress has been slow.
The National Single Window is a trade facilitation concept that enables international traders to submit regulatory documents at a single location and/or single entity. The system is designed to improve the efficiency and transparency of cross-border trade by integrating various government agencies involved in the import-export process. However, since the committee’s inception, the implementation has faced significant setbacks, primarily due to inadequate ICT infrastructure and systemic corruption.
In a chat with our correspondent, Mr Kayode Farinto, former acting President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), criticized the composition of the committee, pointing out the absence of freight forwarders. “How can you have a committee on NSW without including a single freight forwarder who can provide practical insights? This exclusion demonstrates a naivety among policy formulators,” Farinto argued.
Speaking also, Mr Chidi Anthony Opara, a former National Secretary of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria(ARFFN) emphasized the critical role of robust ICT infrastructure for the success of the NSW. He highlighted that Nigeria’s outdated ICT infrastructure is a significant barrier, exacerbated by corruption among officials who divert funds meant for upgrades.
“If we can muster the will to eschew corruption for once and make funds available for a global standard ICT infrastructure upgrade, the single window platform project would be achieved in real time,” Opara stated.
On his part, Mr Kingsley Igwe, General Secretary of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), identified political will as a major impediment. He argued that vested interests and corruption within the system prevent the NSW from becoming fully operational. “There are interest groups benefiting from the status quo who do not want to see the NSW succeed,” Igwe remarked. He pointed out that while the trade portal exists, it is ineffective, due to incomplete integration of various government services, limiting its functionality.
Igwe elaborated that, “the willpower to allow Nigerian ports to compete effectively with other ports in the world is lacking. There are too many interests at play, with groups wanting to benefit from either the working of the single window or the commissioning of the contract. While the trade portal exists, it is not fully operational or effective. Agencies like NAFDAC and Customs have services that are not accessible through the portal. The true essence of a single window is lost if all agencies are not on board, allowing port users to perform transactions without physical interface with any agency.”
Despite these criticisms, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), designated as the lead agency for the NSW, has not provided any updates on the committee’s progress. National spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada stated that the committee operates under the Ministry of Finance and thus the NCS lacks detailed information.
Similarly, attempts to obtain comments from the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to the Special Adviser to the Minister on media, Ismael Omipidan, were unanswered for over two weeks.
