From Skepticism To Enthusiasm: Nigeria’s Freight Forwarders Embrace National Single Window Training

Before a single cargo is cleared through Nigeria’s new National Single Window (NSW) platform, thousands of freight forwarders, importers, and exporters across the country are first being asked to do something simple: sit down, log in, and learn.

Those involved say it is a small step that marks a giant leap in how Nigeria conducts its trade.With the Phase One launch of the National Single Window project set for March 27, 2026, the NSW Secretariat has been racing against the clock.

It is rolling out a nationwide end-user training programme that is drawing widespread praise from stakeholders weary of poorly implemented government trade initiatives.The training sessions are being held at accredited centres across the country, including Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.

The Lagos hub—the nation’s busiest maritime centre—is a focal point for the NSW committee’s efforts to ensure a seamless March transition free of operational hitches.

The training centres being used in Lagos include the Nigerian Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Academy in Apapa, the National Secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Amuwo Odofin, the Rockview Hotel in Apapa, and others scattered around the state.The end-user training sessions have brought together freight forwarders, traders, and other maritime sector players for hands-on experience with the platform before its official deployment.

A Welcome Departure from the Past for Godfrey Nwosu, National Secretary of NAGAFF, what stands out most about the NSW training is not just what is being taught, but the deliberate decision to teach at all.”The NSW has brought a new concept with the end-user training, considering them before the launch of the platform.

Before now, the launch of other programmes—either by Customs or other government agencies or ministries—never ensured that end users and freight forwarders were fully equipped and prepared.

But the NSW Secretariat has demonstrated that they have the capacity to ensure everyone is on the same page,” he said.Nwosu, who has undergone three sessions of the training and participated in the earlier User Acceptance Tests (UAT), described the exercise as timely and well-structured.

He rated the Secretariat’s effort seven out of ten, with the remaining three points contingent on the completion of work still ahead.”Interfacing with the system is not difficult. As soon as you input your TIN number, every other detail about your company crops up.

The computers, the internet, and everything we use at the centres is free. Anyone who fails to key into this project—I don’t know what their vision of this industry really is. Nobody should deprive themselves,” he said.

NAGAFF, he confirmed, is mobilising its full membership in readiness for the March 27 launch date.

“Our members have registered in large numbers and are still registering. By the time the first phase of the project launches in March 2026, we will not be found wanting,” Nwosu assured.

The National Vice President of ANLCA, Prince Olusegun Oduntan, gave a positive assessment during one of his observational visits to the end-user training sessions held in Ikeja, Lagos.Oduntan expressed satisfaction with the practical approach of the training. He emphasized that the National Single Window would drastically reduce cargo clearance processing time and enhance transparency across the supply chain.”Lagos is the heartbeat of Nigerian trade, and seeing our members here in Ikeja mastering this system is encouraging. It will equip our members with the practical skills needed to navigate the digital platform.

“We are fully aligned with the March 27 launch date,” he said.First-Time Doubts Quickly Dissolved For many participants, the training began with apprehension and ended with confidence.

Eucharia Emenjor, a registered freight forwarder, admitted she arrived at the training centre unsure of what to expect.”Initially, I had doubts about how to cope and what the training would look like, but when I got to the centre, it was not that difficult.

It was not a big deal navigating the system,” she said.That sentiment was echoed by another freight forwarder, Jennifer Okonkwo. “The interface of the training is very friendly. There is nothing tedious about the various levels, and even without the help of the NSW staff, I can navigate the system.”Okonkwo, who praised the approachability of the training officials, offered a practical assurance to those yet to attend. “You should not be afraid of navigating the system.

As long as you can operate a smartphone, you’re fine.”Her enthusiasm was matched by a broader appreciation for what the platform promises to deliver.

“The National Single Window will reduce the handling of documents and help you perform your job better, even from the comfort of your office. It is a good one for the maritime sector,” she added.What the Platform Promises to ChangeBeyond the ease of navigation, participants were visibly energised by what the NSW platform is designed to do and the scale of impact it could have on Nigeria’s trade ecosystem.

Fwdr Okey Nerus, Chief of Staff to the President of NAGAFF, described the training as a long-awaited turning point. “This is the kind of training we always hoped to attend. It has opened our eyes and prepared our minds for the transition.””Once a declaration is made on the NSW platform, over 36,000 people would be viewing it at the same time. It reduces the physical interface with MDAs, reduces paperwork, saves costs, and ensures seamless tracking of cargoes,” he said.He called on all stakeholders—Customs, freight forwarders, traders, and MDAs—to rally behind the initiative. “Everybody should support this project because it is laudable. It is a concept that has come to stay,” Nerus stated.

Another participant, registered freight forwarder Mr. Eligho Essiet, highlighted one of the platform’s more nuanced but consequential benefits: the elimination of the “unknown shipper” problem that has long complicated cargo clearance at seaports, airports, and land borders.”Registration of importers and exporters on the platform will reduce the problem of the ‘unknown shipper’ syndrome on cargo clearance.

Both the importer and the freight forwarder must be registered on the system, so both parties are known to the system and to the national economic operators,” Essiet explained.He placed the NSW within a broader global context of digital transformation. “The world is changing and systems are growing. We appreciate the fact that the federal government is trying to synchronise the system to ensure that everything done is on record, and that relevant revenues are properly generated and collected.”

Frontline licensed customs agent and immediate past Sole Administrator of ANLCA, Otunba Babatunde Mukaila, also lent his voice to the successes of the end-user training sessions.

He said stakeholders have been praying for the National Single Window to emerge over the years and expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finally granting the political will for the platform to be domiciled under the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS).”I want to agree that on the National Single Window, there has been wide consultation by the NSW Secretariat. We are satisfied with the National Single Window, with the communication and the training. People are being trained and talked to nationally. That is the way to go. So any issue or anomaly can be highlighted, and suggestions made.”

“With the National Single Window, we should expect a reduction in corruption because the port is still riddled with corruption. Because Single Window means same entry, same outing. Everybody can see what is going on. So I expect a reduction in the level of corruption, and I expect that the cargo throughput and turnaround time will be faster. Processing time will be faster.

There will be transparency and predictability, which is the core principle of the WCO.””For us as licensed customs agents, Single Window is the way to go. When NAFDAC places an alert on your cargo, everybody can see it, and NAFDAC needs to tell us why the alert was placed.

Before now, everybody puts an alert on cargo with no reason for it—even the next person doesn’t know that the man seated by his side has put an alert on the transaction. But now it is an open thing. You place it, we know you have placed it, everybody knows you have placed it,” Mukaila said.A Nation Preparing for a New EraWhat the NSW end-user training has demonstrated—beyond its immediate practical value—is a government programme that appears to have learned from the mistakes of the past, one that is investing in people before it invests in a launch event.

With March 27 fast approaching, the early feedback from across the training centres paints a picture of a sector that is not just ready, but eager. The freight forwarding community, historically cautious about new government platforms, is engaging with an openness that observers say is rare.As NAGAFF National Secretary Godfrey Nwosu put it: “We are very confident in the National Single Window.

It will go a long way to remove bottlenecks, revenue leakages, and ensure fast delivery of goods and services. It will also develop freight forwarders’ IT capacity and their knowledge of the job.”The countdown to March 27 has begun. If the energy in Nigeria’s training centres is any indication, the National Single Window may finally be the trade reform the country has long needed—and this time, the end users are ready.