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Nigerian exporters will begin processing export permits on the National Single Window (NSW) from December 14, as the platform that has handled more than 169,000 import approvals extends its reach to outbound trade.
The Director of NSW, Dr Tola Fakolade, disclosed the timeline in Lagos on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ engagement attended by over 500 importers and exporters.
Fakolade said Phase Two, which covers export licences, permits and Free Trade Zone processes, will roll out in two batches. The first, made up of agencies that issue export permits, goes live on December 14, while the second, which includes Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) processes, follows in the first quarter of 2027.
Fakolade said the lessons from Phase One on change management, stakeholder engagement, training and support would guide the new phase.
He reported that since Phase One began, 169,211 licences, permits and certificates have been processed, with over 12,000 importers and agents registered.
According to him, 27 airlines and 20 shipping lines have also been onboarded, and more than 4,000 electronic manifests transmitted. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) now submit all their permits on the platform, while work continues with Customs on mapping HS codes to streamline overlapping product regulation.
He stressed that the NSW was not created to take over the mandate, revenue or jobs of any agency, but to work with them so that their combined effort delivers greater efficiency for trade.
Meanwhile, an Assistant Director at the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs Patience Apanide, said Phase Two would end repeated inspections, bring documents together in one window and allow cargo to be tracked from farm or factory to the port.
She added that exporters’ readiness would be central to the success of Phase Two.
The NSW Deputy Director and Regional Coordinator, Mr Benedict Itegbe, remarked that the guiding principle was one portal, one submission and one coordinated process.
He noted that Nigeria’s non-oil exports earned $6.1 billion and 8.02 million metric tons in 2025, with over 8,200 new exporters entering the market, and urged exporters to update their registration without delay.
The Zonal Coordinator of Customs Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General Frank Onyeka, said the Nigeria Customs Service would pursue every avenue to position exporters correctly on the platform so that none is left behind.
He assured that the Service would continue to train officers and strengthen partnerships with agents and port operators, and called on them to register and take part in user acceptance and training sessions.
Onyeka commended President Bola Tinubu, who inaugurated the NSW project in April 2024, and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adeniyi, for leading reforms that he said were driving the platform’s success.
