The Federal Government has directed all shipping companies and airlines operating in Nigeria to submit their cargo manifests through the National Single Window (NSW) platform, as part of efforts to strengthen cargo tracking, improve transparency and enhance trade facilitation.
The directive, issued through the Ministry of Finance, represents a major departure from the previous system where the submission of shipping manifests was handled solely by the Nigeria Customs Service for cargo processing and port clearance.
In a memo dated November 17, 2025, with reference number FMF/OHMF/CW/NSW/01, shipping lines and airlines were instructed to integrate their operational systems with the National Single Window platform to enable seamless submission of sea and air cargo manifests.
The memo, signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, recalled that the National Single Window Project was inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on April 16, 2024, as part of broader reforms aimed at streamlining and automating import and export processes across Nigeria’s ports of entry and exit.
According to the minister, the project is designed to enhance trade facilitation, boost government revenue and improve operational efficiency by integrating the activities of multiple government agencies involved in trade on a single digital platform. He noted that the system would promote faster clearance of goods, reduce bureaucratic delays and improve service delivery at the nation’s ports.
The memo further explained that key elements of the Single Window system, as defined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO), include a single-entry point and a single submission of trade documentation. Under the arrangement, traders, shipping companies, airlines and other stakeholders are required to submit all import and export documents once through a centralised digital platform.
“As a result, the NSW platform will serve as the single-entry point for the submission of all sea and air manifests,” the memo stated, adding that compliance by shipping lines and airlines is mandatory.
The directive was also copied to relevant government agencies, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Managing Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), as well as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
FG Mandates Shipping Firms, Airlines to Submit Cargo Manifests via National Single Window
