Gloria Odion,  Maritme reporter 

‎The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom (CR/CFTZ/AK) Area Command, has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing to address security challenges, facilitate legitimate trade and enhance operational efficiency.
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‎The commitment was reinforced during a series of familiarization visits by the Acting Area Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller Dr Nkiru Nwala to the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
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‎During the visits, Nwala held discussions with the NSCDC Commandant, C. E. Okarazu; the Controller of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service, Aniekan Archibong Nya; and the State Director of the DSS, Dr Faluyi Oluwole.
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‎The engagements provided an opportunity to strengthen existing institutional relationships, establish direct communication channels and explore practical ways to improve cooperation among the agencies following Nwala’s assumption of duty.
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‎The Acting Area Controller emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration among security and law enforcement agencies in tackling common security threats, promoting compliance with relevant laws and protecting the nation’s economic and security interests.
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‎The visits emphasised the importance of intelligence sharing and coordinated operations in tackling security threats, safeguarding national assets and facilitating legitimate trade.
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‎The Command noted that stronger partnerships among the agencies would enhance operational coordination, support the enforcement of relevant laws and contribute to the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure.
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‎The initiative aligns with the Comptroller-General of Customs’ strategic mantra of Consolidation, Innovation and Collaboration, which prioritises strengthening existing partnerships, embracing innovative approaches to operational challenges and promoting effective cooperation among relevant institutions.
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‎The Command reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with sister security agencies to strengthen national security, facilitate legitimate trade and advance the broader objectives of national development.

Funso OLOJO, Editor 

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has removed the age restriction for participation in its 2026 National Innovation Hackathon under the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP), opening the initiative to a wider pool of Nigerian innovators following growing public demand.

Under the revised eligibility criteria, Nigerians aged 18 and above can now apply, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or educational background.

The agency said the decision was taken in response to widespread calls from Nigerians seeking to participate in the initiative, which aims to identify, nurture and commercialise innovative solutions to challenges and emerging opportunities in the country’s maritime and blue economy.

The NIMASA-BEAP application portal opened on Monday, October 5, 2026, with applications free of charge.

NIMASA is urging innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, software developers, engineers, artisans, graduates and students with promising ideas to take advantage of the opportunity and submit their applications before the deadline.

Scheduled for December 8–10, 2026, the National Innovation Hackathon will focus on developing practical, technology-driven and commercially viable solutions across 13 innovation tracks covering different segments of the maritime and blue economy.

The tracks include maritime technology and logistics; maritime safety, surveillance and security; green shipping and vessel decarbonisation; seafarer welfare; port digitisation and marine waste management

Other areas are aquaculture and sustainable fisheries; coastal and artisanal fishing; ocean data and analytics; nature-based coastal defence; marine tourism; marine biotechnology; and deep seabed mining technologies and research.

Beyond the hackathon, successful innovators will have the opportunity to advance to the 12-week NIMASA-BEAP Accelerator Programme, scheduled to run from January to April 2027.

Participants selected for the accelerator will receive structured mentorship, industry exposure and venture-development support to help transform their ideas into viable businesses and scalable solutions.

The programme will culminate in a National Demo Day in April 2027, where participating innovators will have opportunities to engage with investors, industry partners, prospective customers and other stakeholders capable of supporting the development and commercialisation of their solutions.

NIMASA-BEAP is designed to go beyond a conventional innovation competition by establishing a national pipeline for identifying promising Nigerian ideas, developing them into market-ready ventures and connecting them with opportunities across the marine and blue economy.

The programme is expected to encourage local innovation, strengthen entrepreneurship and expand participation in a sector with significant potential for investment, employment generation and economic diversification.

With the removal of the age restriction, NIMASA is encouraging Nigerians with innovative ideas capable of addressing maritime and blue economy challenges to seize the opportunity to contribute to the development of the sector.

Applications close on Friday, November 13, 2026.

Interested applicants can register free of charge through the official NIMASA-BEAP portal: https://nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng/.

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The National Single Window (NSW) platform has processed 156,026 trade-related licences, permits and certificates since its launch on March 27, 2026, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s drive to digitise trade procedures and streamline cross-border cargo movement.

The platform has also attracted more than 12,000 importers, customs agents, shipping lines, airlines and freight forwarders, while recording an impressive 99.98 per cent uptime since the commencement of operations.

These figures were disclosed by the NSW project team  led by Tola Fakolade during a stakeholder engagement with members of the press in Abuja on Tuesday October 13th, 2026  where it provided updates on the implementation of Phase 1 and preparations for the rollout of Phase 2.

The initiative is designed to establish a centralised digital platform through which traders can access trade-related regulatory services, reducing administrative bottlenecks, improving transparency and enhancing the efficiency of import and export procedures.

According to the project team, five government agencies have been fully onboarded on the platform, while more than 8,000 users have received training since operations commenced.

A breakdown of the licences and permits processed showed that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) accounted for 104,956 transactions, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) processed 50,622.

The platform has also recorded significant progress in cargo manifest transmission, processing 3,964 air and sea cargo manifests since its launch.

Of this figure, 3,596 were air cargo manifests transmitted by 27 airlines, while 368 were sea cargo manifests transmitted by 56 shipping lines.

The team disclosed that all airlines and air cargo companies had been onboarded for the platform’s operations.

For sea cargo, however, 56 of the 88 shipping lines had so far been onboarded for manifest transmission.

The reported 99.98 per cent platform uptime, the team said, reflected the system’s operational stability and the growing adoption of the digital trade facilitation initiative.
Regulatory Processes Go Digital.

The project team further disclosed that the submission, processing and approval of import licences, permits and certificates for four key regulatory agencies had been fully implemented on the platform.

The agencies are NAFDAC, SON, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

Payments associated with the relevant import licences, permits and certificates are also being processed through the platform, further integrating regulatory approvals and payment procedures into a single digital environment.

The development is expected to simplify interactions between traders and regulatory agencies by reducing the need to navigate multiple administrative channels for trade documentation.

On the harmonisation of Harmonised System (HS) Codes, the team said rationalisation workshops had been conducted with relevant regulatory agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The harmonised codes are expected to be updated on both the NSW platform and the Customs Service’s B’Odogwu system by November 2026.

The harmonisation exercise is intended to promote consistency in the classification of goods, improve coordination between trade-related government agencies and minimise discrepancies in the processing of import and export transactions.

Meanwhile, the onboarding of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for Ships Entry Notice (SEN) submission is ongoing.

The service is scheduled to go live on November 16, 2026, marking another step towards integrating maritime regulatory processes into the national digital trade facilitation framework.

Phase 2 Targets Export Processes, Wider Agency Integration

Beyond the progress recorded under Phase 1, the NSW project team confirmed that implementation of Phase 2 had commenced, with delivery scheduled in stages between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.

The second phase is expected to expand the platform’s scope beyond existing import-related processes to cover critical export documentation, additional regulatory approvals and a broader range of trade transactions.

Key components include export-related licences, permits and certificates; Forms NXP and NCX; export cargo manifests; Import Duty Exemption Certificates (IDEC); import and export permits for Free Trade Zones; and payments for export licences, permits and certificates.

The planned expansion is expected to deepen the digitalisation of Nigeria’s trade processes by bringing additional agencies and documentation requirements into a coordinated electronic system.

Under the rollout schedule, the first batch of agencies and services is expected to go live in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The batch comprises the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC); the Federal Produce Inspection Service (FPIS) and Registered Exporter System (REX) under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; SON; NAFDAC; and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

The second batch, scheduled for implementation in the first quarter of 2027, will involve the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Customs Service, NAQS, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and Federal Ministry of Finance.

The inclusion of these institutions is expected to extend the platform’s reach across key areas of export promotion, customs administration, agricultural inspection, financial regulation, marine and blue economy-related trade, and the management of export processing zones.

Testing and Training Ahead of Full Deployment

The project team said preparations for Phase 2 had progressed through several implementation stages, including current-state assessment, technology readiness assessment, future-state design and system customisation.

The remaining implementation activities include user acceptance testing, pilot testing and end-user training ahead of the scheduled go-live dates.

These processes are intended to ensure that the platform’s new functionalities meet operational requirements and that participating agencies and users are adequately prepared before deployment.

The phased implementation approach is expected to allow the project team to address technical and operational issues progressively while expanding the range of services available to stakeholders.

Phase 3 Projected for Late 2027

Looking beyond Phase 2, the team disclosed that Phase 3 of the NSW rollout was projected for implementation between the third and fourth quarters of 2027.

The third phase is expected to introduce additional trade and customs functionalities, including Customs Declaration submission, Form M application and approval, oil and gas-related processes, Advanced Risk Analytics and a Trade Visualisation System.

These proposed features are expected to broaden the platform’s operational coverage and strengthen the digital infrastructure supporting trade documentation, customs processes, risk assessment and trade data analysis.

The planned introduction of Advanced Risk Analytics and the Trade Visualisation System also points to a wider ambition to improve the use of data in trade monitoring and regulatory decision-making.

The stakeholder engagement in Abuja provided an opportunity for journalists to examine the project’s progress, obtain updates on implementation timelines and engage members of the project team on the platform’s operational performance and future expansion.

The NSW team encouraged stakeholders to continue using the platform and provided help desk contacts for users requiring technical support and assistance.

With Phase 1 recording substantial transaction volumes and preparations for the next stages underway, the project’s success will increasingly depend on the effective integration of participating agencies, the smooth onboarding of remaining stakeholders and the reliable delivery of planned digital services.