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Single Window enters export phase
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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Federal Government’s push to diversify Nigeria’s economy away from crude oil received a major boost on Thursday as stakeholders gathered in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the sensitisation on Phase Two of the National Single Window (NSW), with a focus on its export component.
The event, organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in collaboration with the National Single Window (NSW) Secretariat and other trade agencies, brought together exporters, regulators, freight forwarders and other players in the trade facilitation ecosystem.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director, Trade Information Department of NEPC, Mr Ndubueze Okeke, said the export side of the Single Window is critical to Nigeria’s survival beyond oil.
“I have a two-page keynote address. I want to speak from the heart, and what I want to say at this point is that the export side of what we are doing is very, very important for Nigeria. And I say this with all sense of responsibility, no apologies,” Okeke said.
He asked how many Nigerians want crude oil to get exhausted in the next five years, noting that non-oil remains the only sector that will endure.
“I can tell you that countries that had crude oil and still have crude oil, UAE, so many of them, can’t even depend on it. They left the crude oil long, long time ago. If you go to Dubai, nobody is talking about crude oil. It is all about services, which is part of export,” he said.
Okeke said Nigeria must embrace the National Single Window, an idea he had heard about for over 20 years, and commended the Federal Government and organisers for bringing it to reality.
He explained that the import side has been done, and Phase Two, which focuses on export, will streamline export documentation and processes, bring transparency and reduce the cost of doing business.
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“It will make our exporters and Made-in-Nigeria products to be very, very competitive, not just globally, but regionally in terms of AfCFTA,” he said.
Okeke disclosed that last year, Nigeria recorded $6.1 billion in non-oil export performance, with over 281 products exported to different destination markets.
“Our product is one of the best anywhere in the world. The problem has to do with packaging, the problem has to do with labelling, the problem has to do with documentation processes and procedures. In export business, anywhere you go, it is one-size-fits-all. Nobody will lower the standard for you,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Director of NEPC, Mrs Ngozi Ibe, said Nigeria’s ambition to expand non-oil exports requires not only increased production but also an efficient, transparent and globally competitive trade environment.
She described the Single Window as a centralised electronic platform for the submission and processing of regulatory documentation related to import, export and transit activities.
“A competitive export economy is built not only on what a country produces, but also on how efficiently and effectively it moves its products from the local markets to the global space,” Ibe said.
Also speaking, the Head of the National Single Window, Mr Tola Fakolade, said the journey started on April 16, 2024, when the project was inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu, while Phase One, covering import regulatory permits, was launched on March 27, 2026.
He said Phase Two moves into regulatory permits for export, and urged exporters to embrace the platform and give feedback to make it work better.
In a goodwill message, the Nigeria Customs Service said the Single Window is not window dressing, but a real modernisation drive to bring transparency to trade, and urged all stakeholders to participate actively.
