The Nigerian Shippers Council’s (NSC) buy-in is crucial to actualising the National Single Window (NSW) project.
The Steering Committee of the NSW said this during a working visit to the NSC headquarters in Lagos.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had inaugurated the National Steering Committee to ensure the implementation of the project in the country.
The Head of the Project Secretariat for the Committee, Tola Fakolade, highlighted the benefits of the NSW project, including enhanced government revenue, increased foreign investment, increased trade volumes, and improved automation processes.
Fakolade solicited the support of stakeholders and agencies in the maritime industry to meet the Federal Government’s aspirations of operationalising the project in Nigeria.
In response, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Pius Akutah, expressed readiness to support the committee in promoting the effective operationalisation of the platform in the country.
Akutah expressed optimism that the implementation of the national single window would greatly benefit both the Council and the port industry.
He affirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to diversifying the economy to include the non-oil sector, adding that the NSW is one of the structures that will help meet the aspirations of the Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah, however, called on all relevant agencies involved in the project to embrace automation to aid their respective operational processes.
He emphasised that automation is a key element that agencies need to actualise and ensure they implement as quickly as possible.