ANLCA Backs National Single Window, Hails End to Document Duplication in Cargo Clearance
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government’s National Single Window (NSW) project, describing it as a long-awaited solution to persistent document duplication and multiple submissions that have slowed cargo clearance operations at Nigerian ports.
ANLCA’s endorsement was given at a town hall meeting held for its members in Apapa, Lagos, where the association’s National President, Mr Emenike Kingsley Nwokeoji, welcomed the integration of the National Single Window with the Nigeria Customs Service’s B’Odogwu platform.
Nwokeoji said the initiative reflects strong political will by the present administration to streamline trade documentation and harmonise the functions of multiple government agencies involved in cargo clearance.
“What we are seeing is the determination of the government to end the multiplication of documents and repeated submissions. This programme will help streamline the roles of many government agencies,” he said.
He noted that importers and clearing agents often face delays because a single product may be regulated by two or three agencies, each demanding separate documentation. According to him, the single-window platform would allow all agencies to raise objections or approvals on one interface, improving transparency and reducing cargo dwell time at the ports.
“With a single submission, any objection will be visible to all parties on the same platform. This will also help speed up cargo release,” Nwokeoji added.
He assured the National Single Window project team of ANLCA’s full support, expressing confidence that the system would significantly improve efficiency and enable clearing agents to submit documents remotely while tracking cargo movement in real time.
Also speaking at the event, Director of the National Single Window Committee, Mr Tola Fakolade, said the integration marks a major shift in Nigeria’s trade processes, with the first phase of the project scheduled to go live on March 27.
Fakolade explained that the National Single Window would centralise the issuance of all import and export permits and licences, reducing bottlenecks and improving coordination across regulatory agencies.
Addressing concerns over network downtime, Fakolade clarified that connectivity challenges would largely depend on telecom service providers rather than the Single Window platform itself. However, he assured clearing agents that walk-in support centres would be established at major ports to provide technical assistance.
“As part of our support plan, we will set up walk-in centres at major ports. Some of these centres will have internet café facilities where agents can come in and work,” he said, adding that multiple network providers would be deployed to minimise disruptions.
The town hall meeting recorded a large turnout of clearing agents and ANLCA leadership, including Vice President Prince Segun Oduntan; National Secretary, Olumide Fakanlu; and National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Onyeme. Chapter chairmen from Apapa, PTML, KLT and Tin Can Island ports were also in attendance.
Stakeholders at the meeting expressed optimism that the successful implementation of the National Single Window would transform port operations, enhance trade facilitation and significantly reduce delays and costs associated with cargo clearance in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
