The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the National Single Window (NSW) Secretariat, has intensified the implementation of the National Single Window project with a sensitisation programme for Customs officers, shipping lines and other maritime stakeholders as the maritime manifest submission phase begins.
The sensitisation exercise, held at the Apapa Area Command on Tuesday, marked the commencement of electronic maritime manifest submissions under the NSW platform.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, said the programme builds on a series of stakeholder engagements conducted before and after the successful launch of Phase One of the National Single Window on March 27, 2026.
She described the platform as an international best practice that would improve trade facilitation and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.
Adebakin said the initiative was already delivering benefits beyond the Nigeria Customs Service, noting that it would enhance trade efficiency, improve data quality and strengthen anti-smuggling operations.
According to her, the electronic submission of maritime manifests does not change the Service’s statutory responsibilities but provides a more efficient and transparent method of processing cargo documentation.
The Zonal Coordinator of Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Mohammed Babandede, emphasised that stakeholder consultation remains central to the Service’s reform agenda.
He urged shipping companies to ensure timely and compliant submission of sea manifests, describing the manifest as a critical component of cargo declaration, risk management and faster cargo clearance.
National Coordinator of the National Single Window Project, Tola Fakolade, commended the NCS for its continued support for the initiative.
He disclosed that the platform had recorded major milestones, including the issuance of more than 100,000 licences and permits and the registration of over 1,000 users.
Also speaking, the Customs Area Controller of Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, urged shipping companies, terminal operators and other stakeholders to sustain collaboration with the NCS and the NSW Secretariat.
He said stronger stakeholder cooperation would accelerate trade facilitation, improve compliance, enhance transparency and reinforce Nigeria’s position as a competitive trading nation.
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