The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stepped up the implementation of Nigeria’s National Single Window (NSW) project, launching the maritime manifest submission phase with a fresh push to digitise cargo processing, tighten border controls and accelerate trade across the country’s ports.
The initiative, driven in partnership with the National Single Window Secretariat, saw Customs officers, shipping lines and other maritime stakeholders converge at the Apapa Area Command on Tuesday for a sensitisation programme aimed at preparing operators for the new electronic manifest submission process.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, said the exercise builds on months of stakeholder consultations before and after the successful rollout of Phase One of the National Single Window on March 27, 2026.
She described the platform as a globally recognised trade facilitation system that is already transforming Nigeria’s international trade profile.
“Since the introduction of the National Single Window, the country as a whole, not only the NCS, has begun to experience its benefits. Nigeria’s standing in international trade is improving, and the NCS remains committed to supporting the successful implementation of this initiative,” Adebakin said.
She stressed that the digital platform is designed to improve trade efficiency, generate reliable trade data and strengthen anti-smuggling operations without altering Customs’ statutory responsibilities.
“It is simply a more efficient and transparent method of submitting the same documents,” she added.
Also speaking, the Zonal Coordinator for Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Mohammed Babandede, said consultation with industry players remains central to Customs reforms, noting that the Service consistently engages stakeholders before introducing new policies and digital initiatives.
Describing the sea manifest as the backbone of cargo declaration and risk management, Babandede urged shipping companies to ensure prompt and compliant submissions to facilitate faster cargo clearance and improve risk profiling.
National Coordinator of the National Single Window Project, Tola Fakolade, praised the Nigeria Customs Service for driving the implementation of the initiative, revealing that the platform has already recorded major milestones.
According to him, more than 100,000 licences and permits have been issued through the system, while over 1,000 users have successfully registered, signalling growing adoption of the digital trade platform.
The Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, commended participants for their active engagement and called on shipping companies, terminal operators and other stakeholders to deepen collaboration with the NCS and the National Single Window Secretariat.
He said sustained cooperation would accelerate trade facilitation, improve regulatory compliance, enhance transparency and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in global commerce.
