CRFFN seeks digital platform to boost industry

 

Nigeria’s freight forwarding industry could unlock tens of trillions of naira in annual value if stakeholders align on a unified digital and reporting platform, the Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Kingsley Igwe, has said.

Igwe made this call in Lagos yesterday at a stakeholders’ engagement on the National Single Window (NSW), stressing that fragmentation, weak coordination, and poor data reporting continue to erode efficiency, inflate costs, and limit the sector’s true economic potential.

The engagement, organised by CRFFN in collaboration with the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and the Convention on Business Integrity (CBi) had as its theme: National Single Window Implementation: From Eliminating Fragmentation to Full Integration for Lower Trade Costs and Zero Delays in Cargo Clearance”.

The event, held on the eve of the first phase rollout of the National Single Window, a reform expected to reduce cargo clearance timelines from as high as 24 days to 24 hours in the medium term, brought together regulators, freight forwarders, and private sector operators to align expectations and chart a pathway for seamless trade facilitation under the Federal Government’s Marine and Blue Economy agenda.

Igwe said the freight forwarding ecosystem must abandon fragmented advocacy and embrace a single, coordinated platform backed by credible data, noting that disjointed engagements with regulators have historically yielded little results.

He said although freight forwarding activities contribute “more than tens of trillions of naira” annually to Nigeria’s economy, the sector remains underreported and its operators under-rewarded, with many unable to translate their annual activities into sustainable profitability.

As part of efforts to institutionalise transparency, Igwe added that CRFFN, working with MACN and CBi, is deploying a Complaint and Feedback Portal to enable real-time reporting of inefficiencies, extortion, and operational bottlenecks across the cargo value chain. He said that insights from the platform will be escalated to the highest levels of government, including the Vice President’s office, to ensure swift intervention and accountability.

In a keynote delivered on behalf of the NSW Director, Tola Fakolade, the Team Lead of the NSW Secretariat, Ayokunnu Ojeniyi, described the initiative as a game-changing digital integration platform designed to collapse multiple regulatory interfaces into a single entry point.

He explained that the current system, characterised by multiple portals for agencies such as NAFDAC, SON, and others, creates complexity, delays, and opacity.

“What the National Single Window does is bring all these channels into one. Once you interact with it, you are essentially interacting with all relevant agencies,” he said.

He outlined key features of the platform, including: Single interface for all trade documentation; harmonised data submission across agencies, end-to-end transparency and traceability; centralised risk management; and integrated e-payment system.

He disclosed that Phase One, commencing immediately, will cover import-related permits, licences, and certificates, while subsequent phases will expand to exports and full trade lifecycle integration.

He acknowledged concerns about institutional overlap but clarified that the platform is not designed to replace existing agencies. “We are not taking over jobs or revenue. This is about collaboration, ensuring everyone in the ecosystem benefits,” he stated.

In her remarks, MACN’s Regional Lead for West and Central Africa, Maria Gowon, emphasised that collaboration and digital reporting remain central to tackling corruption and inefficiency in port operations. She noted that collective action has already transformed vessel clearance processes in Nigeria, and must now be extended to land-side logistics.