David Oladimeji
Nigeria’s ambitious journey toward digital trade transformation is gaining strong acceptance as freight forwarders, clearing agents, importers, and exporters across the country embrace the ongoing National Single Window (NSW) end-user training programme ahead of its official launch.
With Phase One of the National Single Window project scheduled for rollout on March 27, 2026, the NSW Secretariat has embarked on an intensive nationwide training exercise aimed at preparing industry stakeholders before implementation — a move widely regarded as a refreshing departure from past government reforms.
Across key commercial cities including Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt, accredited training centres have become hubs of learning where maritime operators are acquiring practical knowledge of the digital platform expected to reshape cargo clearance and trade documentation in Nigeria.
Lagos, Nigeria’s busiest maritime corridor, has emerged as the focal point of the exercise, hosting large numbers of freight forwarders at centres such as the NAGAFF Academy in Apapa, the ANLCA National Secretariat in Amuwo Odofin, and designated facilities within the Apapa axis.
The hands-on sessions bring together stakeholders from across the logistics value chain, allowing participants to interact directly with the platform while gaining confidence in navigating procedures that will soon replace manual documentation processes.
National Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Godfrey Nwosu, described the training initiative as a landmark step, noting that for the first time, end users are being adequately prepared before the introduction of a major government trade platform.
According to Nwosu, previous systems were often launched without sufficient stakeholder engagement, leaving operators to struggle with adaptation, but the NSW Secretariat has demonstrated commitment to ensuring inclusiveness and operational readiness.
Having attended several training sessions himself, he explained that the system is simple to operate, automatically generating company information once a Tax Identification Number is entered, thereby reducing administrative bottlenecks.
He further revealed that training facilities provide free internet access and equipment, urging freight forwarders nationwide to participate actively so as not to be left behind in the evolving digital trade environment.
Also assessing the programme during an observational visit in Ikeja, Lagos, National Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olusegun Oduntan, commended the practical structure of the training, stressing that the platform would significantly reduce cargo clearance delays while improving transparency.
For many participants, initial uncertainty quickly transformed into optimism. Registered freight forwarder Eucharia Emenjor admitted arriving at the training with doubts but later discovered that the system was user-friendly and easy to understand.
Another participant, Jennifer Okonkwo, noted that the platform’s interface is straightforward, assuring colleagues yet to attend that anyone familiar with smartphone operations would comfortably navigate the system without difficulty.
Chief of Staff to the President of NAGAFF, Freight Forwarder Okey Nerus, described the exercise as long overdue, explaining that the platform would allow simultaneous visibility of cargo declarations by thousands of authorised users, thereby reducing physical contact with regulatory agencies and enhancing accountability.
Registered freight forwarder Eligho Essiet highlighted the platform’s ability to eliminate the persistent “unknown shipper” challenge, noting that compulsory registration of importers and freight forwarders would strengthen cargo traceability and improve national revenue monitoring.
Frontline licensed customs agent and immediate past Sole Administrator of ANLCA, Otunba Babatunde Mukaila, expressed confidence that the National Single Window would curb corruption, promote transparency, accelerate cargo processing time, and usher Nigeria into a new era of predictable and technology-driven trade operations.
As the March 27 launch date approaches, feedback from training centres nationwide suggests that Nigeria’s freight forwarding community is moving steadily from doubt to confidence, positioning the National Single Window as a long-awaited reform capable of transforming the country’s trade landscape for years to come.
