The National Single Window (NSW) management has announced that 99 percent of the 9,800 operational challenges related to licenses, permits, certificates, and other documents (LPCO) involving the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have been resolved.
Disruptions and Data Migration Issues
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos over the weekend, the Director of Operations for NSW, Peter Ekunkoya, acknowledged that initial disruptions following the March 27, 2026 launch were largely caused by regulatory agencies' data migration difficulties, documentation gaps, and overlapping regulatory mandates among government agencies. These issues persisted until April 2026.
Ekunkoya explained that the rollout of the LPCO model exposed major deficiencies in the quality of data received from agencies, particularly during the migration process. Some data fields were either incomplete or entirely missing, making reconciliation with international partners difficult and causing delays in approvals.
The NSW team subsequently undertook a comprehensive cleanup and phased migration of the data, while introducing temporary measures to prevent importers from being stranded. Importers whose applications were affected by missing records were granted a grace period to clear consignments temporarily, especially where applications for product certificates or shipment certificates had already been submitted.
Help Desk Complaints and Resolution
Since inception, the NSW help desk recorded about 9,800 issues, with over 6,000 occurring within the first four weeks after rollout. The platform initially recorded an average of about 1,500 complaints weekly, but this has declined significantly in the last four weeks to less than 900, and in some cases 800. According to Ekunkoya, 99 percent of all reported issues have been resolved, with only 135 outstanding cases, out of which just about 50 are above the agreed resolution timeline.
Help desk complaints relating to SON migration issues have dropped by more than 60 percent, with most current complaints now linked to knowledge gaps among users regarding document requirements and attachment procedures.
NAFDAC Challenges
On NAFDAC-related challenges, Ekunkoya said the situation was more complicated because the agency was already dealing with an internal backlog before transitioning into the NSW platform. NAFDAC's software experienced operational problems in December 2025, resulting in a buildup of pending approvals which later migrated into the NSW platform. Extensive meetings have been held with NAFDAC to review performance metrics and separate approval processes for master documents and consignment documents.
Demurrage Waivers
Addressing concerns over demurrage waivers and delays experienced during early implementation, the Director and Project Head of the NSW Project, Tola Fakolade, said discussions with terminal operators and shipping companies led to an agreement granting waivers based on evidence showing that consignments were directly impacted by issues from the NSW. Shipping lines and terminal operators agreed against granting blank waivers for demurrage charges, citing fears that such concessions could be abused by traders.
An agreement was reached to review requests on a case-by-case basis where importers or their agents can provide evidence showing that their consignments were directly impacted by issues arising from the Single Window platform. “They are open that if importers or their agents can prove that their shipment was impacted by the Single Window, with proof of time, date and all required documentation, they will review it and apply some form of waiver, reduced charges or relief,” Fakolade explained.
Technical Improvements and Future Rollout
The NSW project head noted that most technical issues affecting permit retrieval and processing have been resolved through collaboration with SON, NAFDAC, and the Nigeria Customs Service. Fakolade said the platform recorded significant improvements in May following interventions introduced after the April disruptions. He further disclosed that the digital platform is set to commence full rollout for shipping lines after concluding final testing with stakeholders across the maritime sector.
