Customs and FIRS plot digital shake-up for Nigeria’s trade scene
A single online platform could soon replace the endless queues, missing files, and clearance chaos that most often than not channel payments into the wrong pockets. But, can Nigeria’s bold new trade plan deliver by 2026?
Nigeria’s import and export game might be about to get a major glow-up. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) are joining hands to push forward the National Single Window (NSW) project. This landmark move could finally cut through the country’s trade crimson-red tape.
This is not just another government meeting for the cameras. At a high-level sit-down in Abuja Tuesday, top brass from both agencies mapped out practical steps to get their systems speaking the same digital language all ahead of the NSW’s big debut in the first quarter of 2026.
The project, launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in April 2024, aims to do for trade what mobile banking did for payments: make it simpler, faster, and far less of a headache. Imagine one centralised online platform where importers, exporters, and every relevant government agency can connect, swap documents, and track shipments in real time; no more shuffling between desks or drowning in paper files.
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In the room were Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi; FIRS Executive Chairman Zacch Adedeji and National Single Window Project Director Tola Fakolade, alongside senior officials from both agencies.
Welcoming the FIRS team, Comptroller-General Adeniyi underscored the strategic importance of the project: It is my pleasure to welcome the Chairman and members of his team. We are here to exchange ideas and have open discussions that will help our preparations for the National Single Window.
Adeniyi added that the aim was to build a modern trade ecosystem powered by advanced technology, ensuring faster clearances, smoother compliance checks, and fewer bottlenecks at the ports.
Echoing the Customs chief’s optimism, Dr Adedeji stressed that time is of the essence: The collaboration was timely and critical to meeting the project’s tight deadlines.
If all goes to plan, businesses could soon save time, cut costs, and avoid the usual portside frustrations.
And for Nigeria? A big step towards boosting competitiveness in global trade.
