Ahead of the March 27 national activation plan for the National Single Window(NSW), the Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria(APFFLON) has identified five critical structural and operational gaps that could undermine the successful implementation of the project if not urgently fixed.
It warned that “rushing deployment without resolving stakeholders distrust and technical gaps could result in cargo delay, increased transaction costs, system down or manual fall back, port congestion and loss of industry confidence.
Consequently, it observed that the maritime industry is not prepared to absorb the project as prematurely planned for implementation, while recommending phased deployment with performance audits before national activation.
Recognizing the NSW as a globally recognized transformative trade facilitation instrument, APFFLON noted, “its success depends on strict adherence to internationally accepted implementation principles, including inclusiveness, systems integration readiness, regulatory harmonization, and phased deployment”.
In a press statement signed by the President of the association,Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, the group noted that its position should not be misunderstood as opposing government’s reforms but professional suggestions that guarantee the project Sustainability.
Explaining the areas of gap, the group observed that the NSW was not designed with structured stakeholders’ mapping for functional representation.
It added that the exclusion of all recognized freight forwarding bodies can weaken operational alignment and erode the confidence of the primary end-users.
It further noted that a “functional NSW requires harmonization of Customs procedures, port authority workflows, terminal operators, quarantine services, and other regulatory checkpoints.
“Current signals suggest that procedural alignment and inter-agency workflow standardization are not yet fully synchronized.”
Lamenting that limited exposure of grassroots operators during training increases the risk of operational bottlenecks post-launch, it stated that comprehensive sandbox testing and live cargo simulations involving actual licensed operators are essential before nation-wide rollout.”
APFFLON insists that successful Single Window systems depends on stable data exchange protocols, cyber security safeguards and compatibility with legacy platforms”, therefore, premature deployment without stress-testing integration layers could disrupt cargo processing timelines.
On change management gaps, it emphasized that digital transformation requires structured change management which entails capacity building, phased onboarding,dispute resolution frameworks, and feedback mechanism, adding”A compressed implementation timeline limits the effectiveness of this process.”
To fully optimize the benefits of the NSW integration in the cargo delivery value chain, APFFLON suggested immediate technical review of stakeholders engagement structure.
It called for the establishment of a multi-stakeholders technical advisory committee.
While advising for a phased pilot roll out before national activation, it called for independent readiness audit.
“The association reiterated its full support for the Federal Government’s Marine and Blue Economy reform agenda, emphasizing that sustainable reform must be built on transparency, technical preparedness, and inclusive governance.”
The statement added:”The National Single Window is a strategic reform that can transform Nigeria’s trade competitiveness. However, success must be engineered-not announced.
“Inclusiveness, technical integrity, and operational realism are non-negotiable”, the statement added.
