By: Agande Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen | Stone Reporter News
Abuja, Nigeria — October 30, 2025
Vice President Kashim Shettima says the Federal Government is pushing to complete the long-delayed National Single Window project by 2026 — a platform designed to harmonize documentation and reduce corruption at Nigeria’s ports.
The initiative, if realized, could shorten cargo clearance time from the current 21 days to under 7 days, according to Shettima, who chaired the second meeting of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee at the Presidential Villa.
“We aim to make Nigerian ports rank among Africa’s top three trade gateways by 2026,” Shettima declared. “The forthcoming implementation of the National Single Window will be a game changer.”
The proposed system — integrating the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Customs Service, NAFDAC, SON, and other agencies — is expected to minimize human contact and improve transparency in port operations.
But many industry experts and importers remain skeptical. Past promises of port reform have stalled amid bureaucracy, corruption, and agency rivalry.
“Every government since 2011 has talked about this same Single Window. The issue has never been policy — it’s the political will to dismantle the cartels feeding off the inefficiency,” a maritime analyst in Lagos told Stone Reporter News.
Currently, it takes about 18–21 days to clear cargo at Nigerian ports — nearly five times longer than the global average, and far costlier than neighbouring Ghana and Benin Republic, where clearance takes four to seven days.
Shettima admitted these inefficiencies have “driven up consumer prices and weakened Nigeria’s export competitiveness,” describing them as “symptoms of an economic ailment.”
The Vice President hinted that a new Executive Order on Joint Physical Inspection, awaiting President Tinubu’s approval, could further streamline agency overlap — a persistent cause of delays and extortion at ports.
However, maritime unions and freight operators say reform talk must translate to real action. “Until the scanners work, and agencies stop demanding envelopes at every gate, nothing changes,” one clearing agent said at Apapa Port.
The meeting also tasked agencies to produce a roadmap for an effective weights and measures framework — an effort aimed at consumer protection and ensuring fair trade practices.
Observers note that while the plan sounds ambitious, Nigeria’s record on port digitalization remains uneven. The question remains whether the 2026 target will mark a true turning point or just another reform promise on paper.
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