Shipping

NSW: SEREC Recomemds Way Forward Against Stakeholders Push Back

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2026

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

It is no longer news that Nigeria’s ambitious National Single Window (NSW) project designed to streamline trade documentation, reduce cargo dwell time, and align the country’s ports with global best practices has hit turbulence.

The rollout, executed simultaneously across all ports, is believed to have triggered severe operational disruptions, including cargo declaration paralysis, escalating demurrage charges, and widespread congestion. While policymakers weigh suspension as a corrective measure, industry stakeholders are mounting strong opposition, warning that halting the project could undo years of reform momentum.

Amid the apparent chaos, the Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC), in a memo to the Presidency and the Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy, highlighted the root causes of the crisis as follows:

*Absence of phased implementation: No pilot testing or incremental validation was conducted.

*Breakdown in port functions: Cargo clearance and declaration systems collapsed.

*Weak stakeholder integration: Shipping companies, terminal operators, and customs agents were sidelined.

*Economic impact: Rising costs for importers/exporters, inflationary pressure on goods, and potential revenue leakages.

Despite the chaos, stakeholders argue that suspension would be a step backward. While shipping companies fear reverting to opaque legacy systems will erode transparency gains, terminal operators warn that suspension will prolong inefficiencies and discourage investment; even as customs agents insist that stabilisation, not abandonment, is the only viable path forward.

So far, SEREC is of the opinion that rathan than abandon the reform, there should be an urgent redesign of its implementation pathway. The memo outlines a stabilisation strategy that resonates with industry voices:

Immediate Crisis Containment

Hybrid operations: run NSW in testing mode while legacy systems remain active.

Temporary relief: suspend demurrage and storage charges linked to system delays.

Multi-agency crisis centre for real-time resolution.

Short-Term Stabilisation

Pilot NSW at low-volume ports (Calabar, Warri);Conduct a comprehensive system audit; Re-engage stakeholders with mandatory onboarding; Medium-Term Rollout; Gradual expansion to high-volume ports only after stability benchmarks are met; the strengthening of legal frameworks to enforce compliance.

Long-Term Sustainability

SEREC in additon recommended independent audits, continuous upgrades, and benchmarking against global trade systems; in additon to institutionalised stakeholder collaboration.

The memoir signed by its Head of Research, Fwdr Eugene Nweke cautioned that suspending the NSW project could trigger the following:

Prolonged congestion and inefficiencies, inflationary spikes in imported goods, loss of investor confidence in Nigeria’s trade ecosystem; and a damaging reversion to outdated, opaque systems.

The NSW remains a transformative reform with the potential to reposition Nigeria as a competitive trade hub in Africa. But its success hinges on methodical execution, stakeholder alignment, and adaptive implementation.