The Chairman of the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics, Dele Oye, has described the Federal Government’s National Single Window initiative as a major reform that could attract between $2bn and $3bn in investment into Nigeria over the next five years.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE TV on Friday, Oye said the unified trade portal represents one of the most significant pro-business initiatives introduced by the administration of Bola Tinubu.
The National Single Window (NSW), scheduled for its Phase One launch on March 27, 2026, is designed to integrate more than 20 government agencies—including the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and the Nigerian Ports Authority—into a single digital platform for importers and exporters.
According to Oye, the platform will simplify regulatory compliance for businesses and eliminate the need for companies to move from one government office to another to complete trade-related processes.
“If you knew, as the private sector, the amount of money we spend on regulatory compliance, this is the biggest, if not the biggest, decision by this government. So, we all fully support it,” he said.
Oye noted that Nigeria has attempted to establish similar trade facilitation platforms on three different occasions since 2009, but those efforts failed to achieve full implementation.
He attributed the renewed momentum behind the current initiative to stronger political commitment and improved coordination among government agencies.
“The first major reason for its potential success now is presidential involvement. We’ve not enjoyed that in the past. Then the second was the ability of the chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, to get everyone to work together,” he said, referring to Zacch Adedeji.
Despite expressing strong support for the project, Oye warned that the platform’s current governance structure remains largely government-driven, with limited participation from the private sector, which will be the primary user of the system.
“If you are trying to set up an Orunmila shrine anywhere, if you don’t involve the Yoruba, I’m not sure you’ll be doing Orunmila correctly. This is not a local initiative; it’s an international standard… You must involve the private sector in the platform,” he said.
He stressed that the success of the National Single Window would depend on strong collaboration between government institutions and private sector stakeholders.
Highlighting the resilience of Nigerian businesses despite challenges such as high interest rates and regulatory bottlenecks, Oye argued that policymakers must recognise the private sector as an essential partner in economic development.
“With what Dangote has done for Nigeria, it shows that you cannot look down on the private sector… In anything you do, don’t look down and say the private sector is not a counterpart in the marriage. You cannot marry yourself,” he added.
As the March 27 launch date approaches, many in the business community remain cautiously optimistic that the National Single Window initiative will address longstanding inefficiencies in Nigeria’s trade processes and support greater economic competitiveness.
