NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW PROJECT TAKES OFF Q1 2026 - PRESIDENT TINUBU

President BOLA AHMED TINUBU has directed the Steering Committee for the National Single Window scheme to ensure the platform becomes fully operational by the first quarter of 2026.‎ President TINUBU handed out the directive through his Chief of Staff, FEMI GBAJABIAMILA, during the fifth meeting of the NSW Steering Committee at the State House in Abuja. GBAJABIAMILA said the recent Tax Reform Acts, which was signed into law in June, underscored the urgency of accelerating reforms and pursuing Nigeria's One-Trillion-Dollar-Economy target.‎ He highlighted the importance of financial and trade reforms in achieving national economic transformation, just as he emphasised the role of a unified electronic platform in simplifying Nigeria's import and export operations.‎ "It's important that we continue to stay focused on this project. So that at the end of the day, we meet our timelines and achieve the results the President expects.‎ "As you all are aware, the project is one of the transformative initiatives of Mr. President which we collectively must ensure is effectively and commendably implemented," Gbajabiamila said.‎ FEMI GBAJABIAMILA maintained that the NSW will boost investment and trade revenues, improve transparency, and strengthen Nigeria's global business credibility.‎ GBAJABIAMILA urged all agencies to refine their targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to meet the Phase 1 deadline.‎ "I do expect that since the last meeting of the steering committee which was held on the 8th April, 2025, all stakeholders have operated and actively progressed with all the required KPIs and set targets to ensure that we go live with phase 1 in Q1 2026 as was previously scheduled," he said.‎ Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, WALE EDUN, was present at the Steering Committee meeting and described the progress as encouraging but stressed the need for swift execution.‎ He called for a shift from strategy to concrete implementation and stressed the need for the committee to improve collaboration and resolve final hurdles to meet the rollout timeline.‎ On his part, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment JUMOKE ODUWOLE also charged the committee to work diligently and meet the Q1 2026 deadline without fail. Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), thanked the President for consistently supporting the project.‎ "And to all my colleagues here, we can see that the reward for hard work is more work. When we started last month, it is now law; the single window is now in the law."‎ The Director of the National Single Window (NSW) Project, Tola Fakolade, gave a brief overview of the steering committee's progress toward implementing the project. "All second quarter 2025 key project milestones have been successfully achieved. And the customisation of the Single window platform has commenced," he said. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, BAYO ONANUGA, who confirmed the development in a statement, said the National Single Window project is a Federal Government initiative to streamline trade processes by creating a centralised electronic platform for importers and exporters. Launched in April 2024, he said the NSW seeks to consolidate all agencies involved in imports and exports onto a unified electronic portal, as well as to reduce trade costs, cut delays, and enhance transparency and efficiency at Nigerian ports.‎