The federal government, through its National Single Window (NSW) initiative, has assured businesses and Nigerians who import and export that port efficiency and speedy cargo clearance will be assured, even as it is determined to address incessant bottlenecks and the high cost of doing business in the nation’s sea ports.
Speaking at the National Single Window Stakeholders forum held in Lagos on Thursday, the director of the Single Window Policy, Tola Fakolade, in his keynote address, stated that President Bola Tinubu’s desire was to address the hiccups being faced by importers, exporters, and other operators in the maritime business value chain so that they could carry out their businesses seamlessly.
Fakolade, who is the head of the Secretariat, added that the era of diverting consignments and investments to neighbouring countries due to bottlenecks at the country’s sea ports would soon be over, as he called on all stakeholders and other interest groups to lend their support from their respective corners to achieve the President’s aim.
Disclosing that the initiative is a blend of local experience and countries where such templates have worked, such as Singapore, he said his secretariat will take the stakeholders’ engagement to all the zones of the country, starting with Lagos.
Explaining the benefits of the single window that the initiative aims to achieve, he said NSW will simplify the trade process by removing bottlenecks and delays. He added that the policy will block leakages, hence generating enough revenue for the government, even as it will increase transparency in port operations.
Panellists drawn from critical subsectors sensitised stakeholders to their respective preparedness, machinery, and mechanisms in place to support the initiative.
Not jettisoning obvious challenges and perennial hitches that have impeded business flow, they acknowledged the plight of core business men and women within and beyond the shores of Nigerian ports, and promised to bring succour in no distant time.
The cross-pollination and fertilisation session sparked an appreciable debate among participants, who had various questions and concerns of varying degrees. The discourse came to a halt when the federal government assured all concerned stakeholders that all things would turn around in their favour.
The forum’s stakeholders included the Nigeria Customs Service (the Facilitator), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).
Others are the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the Truckers Association, the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
