Customs Launches Digital Platform to Deliver 48 Hour Cargo Clearance

Customs Launches Digital Platform to Deliver 48 Hour Cargo Clearance

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service has launched a digital One-Stop-Shop platform aimed at eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks at the nation’s ports and reducing cargo clearance time to 48 hours.

The initiative was unveiled on Friday in Lagos by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who described it as a major structural reform to modernise border operations and enhance Nigeria’s trade competitiveness.

Adeniyi said the platform aligns with ongoing business reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration and meets global standards set by the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement. He noted that efficient border reforms could cut trade costs in developing economies by over 14 percent.

According to him, the new system represents a shift toward coordinated governance and data-driven operations.

“This platform is a deliberate shift from fragmented interventions to coordinated governance, from discretion to data, and from isolated actions to collective responsibility,” Adeniyi said. “Through this reform, we continue to build systems that support lawful trade, protect national interests, and serve the economy with professionalism and integrity.”

He disclosed that the Service is advancing toward a fully paperless customs environment, with the first phase of digital clearance and documentation processes scheduled for rollout by the end of the second quarter of 2026.

Also speaking, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, said the platform consolidates all risk interventions into a single electronic interface, streamlining multiple checks under one digital umbrella.

“Today, the NCS is introducing the One-Stop-Shop digital platform, an innovative system designed to consolidate all risk interventions at the port into a single electronic interface,” she said. “We have listened to your feedback and recognised how multiple checkpoints and risk interventions affect business processes. Your involvement in this engagement is crucial to the success of this reform.”

A technical presentation by the Service’s Trade Facilitation Unit outlined strategies to cut clearance time from an average of 21 days to about 48 hours, alongside implementation plans and anticipated challenges.

Stakeholders at the event expressed strong support for the initiative, noting that it would facilitate legitimate trade and improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria. An interactive session also provided clarifications on operational procedures and expectations for the rollout.