Customs launches ‘One-Stop-Shop’ platform to simplify cargo clearance

Nigeria has taken a bold step to simplify cargo clearance and reduce port bottlenecks as the Nigeria Customs Service launched its One-Stop-Shop (OSS) platform in Lagos.The platform introduces a unified system aimed at fast-tracking clearance processes, streamlining risk management interventions and improving the resolution of trade disputes at the nation’s ports.The stakeholder engagement, held in Lagos recently, drew regulators, manufacturers, customs agents, freight forwarders and industry operators who welcomed the initiative as a long-awaited reform capable of transforming Nigeria’s trade environment and improving ease of doing business at ports and borders.Speaking at the event, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Kemen Niagwan, said that the OSS platform fulfils international obligations requiring governments to consult stakeholders before implementing major trade measures.Niagwan said, “Discussions around a unified intervention platform began as far back as 2018 but faced setbacks due to coordination gaps among agencies and stakeholders”.She said, “The new platform centralises risk interventions under a single digital interface, eliminating multiple checkpoints that previously slowed cargo clearance and raised business costs”.According to her, “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”.Continuing, she urged customs officers and stakeholders to support the system, noting that its success depends largely on operational discipline and cooperation.On behalf of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Segun Osidipe described the initiative as a strategic step toward eliminating port bottlenecks and strengthening inter-agency coordination.He said, “Manufacturers see the OSS platform as critical to lowering production costs, improving cargo turnaround time, and boosting Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade”.In the same vein, the President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Emenike Nwokeji, pledged the support of customs agents, expressing confidence that the initiative would significantly improve trade operations.Support also came from the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the Customs Consultative Council (CCC), whose representatives emphasised collaboration as key to achieving seamless trade facilitation nationwide.A presentation by OSS implementation team member, Superintendent of Customs Francis Edejor, explained how countries such as New Zealand and Singapore successfully deployed similar unified clearance systems to reduce processing delays and improve regulatory coordination.He noted that Nigeria’s initiative aligns with global trade facilitation standards championed by the World Trade Organization, which estimates that efficient border processes can significantly reduce trade costs in developing economies.In his keynote on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, DCG Enforcement and Investigation Timi Bomodi conveyed the reform message of CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who described the initiative as a deliberate shift from fragmented procedures to coordinated governance.