Nigeria Customs launches digital One-Stop-Shop to slash cargo clearance to 48 hours

By Ezurike Ugochukwu 

In a sweeping reform designed to strengthen Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has launched a digital One-Stop-Shop (OSS) platform aimed at eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks at the nation’s seaports and reducing cargo clearance time to 48 hours.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos on Friday, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, described the initiative as a major structural shift toward coordinated, technology-driven border management, aligning with the reform agenda of Bola Tinubu and global best practices under the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement.

He said the platform marks a transition from fragmented processes to a unified digital framework that promotes transparency, efficiency, and data-driven governance, estimates that efficient border reforms can cut trade costs in developing economies by over 14 percent.

CGC Adeniyi also announced that the Service is advancing toward a fully paperless customs environment, with the first phase of digital clearance and documentation processes scheduled for rollout by the end of the second quarter of 2026.

“This platform is a deliberate shift from fragmented interventions to coordinated governance, from discretion to data, and from isolated actions to collective responsibility,” Adeniyi stated. “Through this reform, we continue to build systems that support lawful trade, protect national interests, and serve the economy with professionalism and integrity.”

Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, said the OSS platform consolidates all risk interventions into a single electronic interface, streamlining multiple checks into a single digital umbrella.

“Today, the NCS is introducing the One-Stop-Shop digital platform, an innovative system designed to consolidate all risk interventions at the port into a single electronic interface,” she said. “We have listened to your feedback and recognised how multiple checkpoints and risk interventions affect business processes. Your involvement in this engagement is crucial to the success of this reform.”

A technical presentation by the Service’s Trade Facilitation Unit outlined strategies to reduce clearance time from an average of 21 days to about 48 hours, along with implementation plans and anticipated challenges.

Stakeholders at the engagement expressed strong support for the initiative, noting that the platform would facilitate legitimate trade. An interactive session also provided clarifications on operational procedures and expectations for the OSS rollout.