• Platform links agencies, cuts delays, costs, boosts transparency

• Reform aims to enhance competitiveness, support growth and digital economy

Nigerian authorities on Tuesday launched a national single window system, a digital platform designed to modernise the country’s trade sector, cut costs and improve efficiency across the economy.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the platform connects multiple government agencies through a single digital system, simplifying import and export procedures, reducing delays and cutting business costs. The government says it will strengthen transparency, coordination and revenue collection. For businesses, it reduces bureaucracy and shortens time to market.

“This is a decisive shift from complexity to coordination,” Finance Minister Wale Edun said. “It will ease trade, improve competitiveness, and support economic growth.”

The national single window is part of a broader reform programme aimed at building a more competitive, investor-friendly economy.

It is also part of a wider digital transformation agenda, with authorities prioritising the integration of digital technologies across sectors to support socio-economic development. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says trade digitalisation plays a key role in improving the efficiency of border controls and administrative procedures, reducing trade costs and strengthening the resilience of global supply chains.

The GSMA says digitalisation can support trade expansion and help commerce fully benefit from regional integration. According to the organisation, digitalising the commercial sector could generate 873 billion naira ($663.6 million) in additional value by 2030, equivalent to 1.3% of the sector’s GDP. It could also create an additional 90,000 jobs and generate an extra 70 million naira in government revenue.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, trade was Nigeria’s second-largest contributor to real GDP at 16.84%, behind agriculture at 20.44%, according to official data. However, this digitalisation of trade extends beyond administrative processes.

UNCTAD says integrating advanced technologies such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence and blockchain can improve efficiency, transparency and risk management in trade processes. The GSMA also highlights e-commerce, which helps bring new products to market, expands delivery services and significantly reduces transaction costs.

Isaac K. Kassouwi