The Federal Government on Tuesday announced an ambitious plan to cut average cargo dwell times at the ports to less than seven days by the end of 2026, targeting inefficiencies that currently inflate delays to 18-21 days — more than four times the global average of four days.
The initiative was disclosed in a statement from the office of Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun.
The decision hinges on rolling out the National Single Window, a unified digital trade platform, alongside major upgrades to the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, which handle about 70 percent of the country’s trade volume.
Transaction bottlenecks — including paperwork, customs checks, and regulatory approvals — cause 73 percent of delays, the statement said, rather than physical infrastructure issues.
The single window aims to fix this by enabling electronic submissions for licenses, permits, and manifests; centralized risk assessment; and transparent payments, slashing human intervention and redundant agency visits.
“Phase 1 of the NSW directly targets the 73 percent transaction delay component by introducing one single digital platform,” the statement noted.
Physical upgrades at the ports will address congestion, outdated equipment, and slow cargo handling to speed vessel and truck turnarounds.
Officials stressed the reforms must sync up: Digital tools alone falter amid physical chokepoints, while infrastructure improvements get bogged down by paperwork.
The changes are projected to trim logistics costs, sharpen the edge of Nigerian exports, and lift trade volumes as part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader push for a 7 percent medium-term growth rate and easier business conditions.
Phase one of the single window launches Friday, according to Abdullahi Maiwada, national public relations officer for the Nigeria Customs Service.
Separately, the Federal Government secured a £746 million ($940 million) export finance deal with Britain last week to redevelop the Lagos ports, announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer during President Tinubu’s state visit to London.
