After over a decade of failed attempts to implement international trade Single Window in Nigeria, the Comptroller-General General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has identified hydra-headed factors that have undermined every effort on the project and proferred ways to make it work.
According to the World Customs Organisation (WCO), a Single Window (SW) is a trade facilitation concept that enables traders and businesses to submit standardised information and documents through a single entry point to fulfil all regulatory requirements related to import, export, and transit.
It simplifies and streamlines interactions with government authorities, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs and delays in cross-border trade.
Since 2014, Nigeria has made efforts twice to create and implement the Single Window without success.
Speaking at a stakeholders forum on the National Single Window implementation in Lagos on Tuesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adeniyi asserted that for the National Single Window to work in Nigeria, all relevant agencies in the country’s trade and revenue system “must embrace a singular purpose backed by an unwavering government support, ensuring that the single window is not perceived as sole mandate, but as a national strategy supported by all stakeholders, including the private sector, financial institutions, and regulatory agencies.”
He continued: “The centrality of customs in this ecosystem is undeniable, but success requires a symbiotic relationship where each stakeholder plays its path with precision and commitment technology has often been cited as the cornerstone of the single window system but technology alone is not the solution.
“The deployment of advanced digital platforms must be accompanied by meticulous process reengineering, capacity building, and proper change management. Past efforts in Nigeria have failed due to over-emphasis on technology without adequately addressing the human and operational dimensions.
A successful single window system must reflect the peculiarities of Nigeria’s trade environment, incorporating user-friendly designs, interoperability with existing systems, and scalability to accommodate future growth.”
According to the Customs boss, who was represented at the event by the head of Customs Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Deputy Comptroller General, DCG of Customs, Kikelomo Adeola, past attempts to build the National Single Window failed due to challenges ranging from fragmented technological systems and institutional bottlenecks to misaligned stakeholder expectation and inadequate physical and technological infrastructure.
“While these obstacles have slowed our progress, they have also provided invaluable lessons that shaped the roadmap for future sources.
A critical reflection on past attempt reveals the necessity of a unified vision driven by strong political will and institutional committee, fragmentation in leadership and inconsistent policy direction, which undermined the effectiveness of earlier initiatives,” he noted.
He emphasised that continuous stakeholder engagement must be at the heart of the implementation process, adding that previous initiative suffered from limited collaboration and inadequate communication, which bridge the trust gap and soften resistance among stakeholders.
“So a successful single window system must prioritize inclusivity with active consultation and collaboration among government agencies, private sectors, and development partners.
This development must include consultation and involve co-creation where stakeholders actively contribute to system design and evaluation,” the CG said.
“As we forge ahead, we must harmonize the legal landscape. Eliminating redundancy is an ambiguity while instituting and possible policies that promote transparency accountability and efficiency.
This legal alignment will not only facilitate system implementation but also booster Nigeria compliance and international trade agreements and standards,” he added.
