Nigeria took a major step toward improving trade efficiency as the Nigeria Customs Service launched its One-Stop-Shop (OSS) platform in Lagos on Wednesday, aimed at simplifying cargo clearance and reducing port bottlenecks.
The OSS platform introduces a unified digital system to fast-track clearance processes, streamline risk management interventions, and enhance resolution of trade disputes at the nation’s ports. The launch was marked by a stakeholder engagement at the Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja, attended by regulators, manufacturers, customs agents, freight forwarders, and industry operators, who welcomed the reform as transformative for Nigeria’s trade environment.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Kemen Niagwan, said the platform centralises risk interventions under a single interface, eliminating multiple checkpoints that previously delayed cargo clearance and raised business costs. She noted that discussions on a unified system began in 2018 but faced delays due to coordination challenges among agencies.
“Multiple checks and fragmented interventions have impacted business processes for years. The One-Stop-Shop now brings all relevant units under one coordinated system to ensure faster and more predictable clearance,” Niagwan said. She urged customs officers and stakeholders to support the initiative, stressing that operational discipline and cooperation are key to its success.
Manufacturers, represented by Segun Osidipe, described the platform as critical for reducing production costs, improving cargo turnaround, and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade. Support also came from the President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Chief Emenike Nwokeji, and representatives of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders and the Customs Consultative Council.
Superintendent of Customs Francis Edejor highlighted similar successful systems in countries like New Zealand and Singapore, emphasizing that Nigeria’s OSS aligns with global trade facilitation standards championed by the World Trade Organization. In his keynote, DCG Enforcement and Investigation Timi Bomodi conveyed the reform message of CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, describing the platform as a deliberate shift from fragmented procedures to coordinated governance.
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