Delay in ICTN II threatens smooth takeoff of National Single Window

From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja

The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) has raised the alarm that the continued delay in implementing the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN II) is endangering Nigeria’s maritime reforms and could frustrate the smooth rollout of the National Single Window (NSW) slated for 2026.

In a policy document issued in Abuja, SEREC’s Head of Research, Dr Eugene Nweke, warned that Nigeria is losing over ₦900 billion yearly due to revenue leakages that the ICTN would have blocked if it had been deployed as approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2023.

Nweke said the ICTN is a critical tool that would fast-track pre-arrival cargo processing, cut clearance time by up to 35%, reduce trade malpractices by 40%, and boost the country’s credibility in regional maritime trade.

He lamented that in the absence of ICTN, agencies like Customs, NPA, NIMASA, and the Shippers’ Council are forced to rely on outdated, reactive intelligence systems that allow under-declaration, cargo concealment, and falsified manifests to thrive.

According to him, the delay may be costing the nation between ₦800 billion and ₦1.2 trillion annually, as non-standardised cargo declarations and transshipment concealment go unchecked.

He pointed out that countries such as Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Angola, which adopted ICTN earlier, recorded remarkable improvements—18–22% rise in customs revenue, 30% drop in port delays, and 40% reduction in false declarations within two years.

Nweke warned that Nigeria risks stumbling into the National Single Window project with a “fragmented and unreliable” data system if ICTN is not deployed immediately.

“ICTN is not a competing platform. It is the data engine room for the National Single Window, Customs modernisation, and every other port-reform framework,” he stressed.

Beyond revenue losses, he said the delay poses serious national security threats, as the absence of pre-shipment verification weakens Nigeria’s ability to detect high-risk consignments, including arms, drugs, and toxic waste.

He added that Nigeria remains one of the few major trading countries in the region without an electronic cargo-note system, a gap hurting investor confidence and affecting the country’s compliance with global standards such as the WCO SAFE Framework and IMO ISPS security guidelines.