The Federal Government has directed all shipping companies and airlines operating within Nigeria to submit their cargo manifests through the National Single Window platform, as part of measures to strengthen cargo tracking, improve transparency and enhance trade facilitation across the country.

The directive represents a major departure from the previous arrangement under which the submission of shipping and cargo manifests was handled solely by the Nigeria Customs Service for the purpose of cargo processing and port clearance.

The instruction was conveyed in a memo dated November 17, 2025, bearing the reference number FMF/OHMF/CW/NSW/01. In the memo, shipping lines and airlines were formally instructed to integrate their operational systems with the National Single Window platform to enable the seamless submission of sea and air cargo manifests.

The memo was signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun. It noted that the National Single Window Project was inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on April 16, 2024, as part of broader efforts to streamline and automate import and export processes at Nigeria’s ports of entry and exit.

According to the minister, the project was designed to enhance trade facilitation, boost government revenue and improve operational efficiency by integrating the activities of multiple government agencies involved in trade processes on a single digital platform. He explained that the system would ensure faster clearance of goods, reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and improve overall service delivery at the nation’s ports.

The memo further explained that the core components of the Single Window system, as defined by the World Trade Organisation and the World Customs Organisation, include a single-entry point and a single submission of trade documentation. Under the framework, traders, shipping companies, airlines and other relevant stakeholders are required to submit all import and export documentation only once through a centralised digital platform.

“As a result, the NSW platform will be the single-entry point for the submission of all sea and air manifests,” the memo stated, adding that compliance with the directive by shipping lines and airlines is mandatory.

The directive was copied to several key government agencies, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Managing Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, as well as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.