The Central Bank of Nigeria has opened a CBN NAFDAC licence window, allowing importers to use expired permits temporarily to ease trade disruptions
The Central Bank of Nigeria, through its Trade and Exchange Department, has approved a temporary window allowing importers to use expired National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control licences for import documentation, offering short term relief to businesses affected by changes to Nigeria’s trade processing systems.
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The approval, announced in a circular dated January 26, 2026, permits authorised dealer banks to continue processing Form M applications with NAFDAC licences that expired on December 31, 2025.
The Central Bank of Nigeria said the measure takes immediate effect and will run for two months, automatically expiring on February 28, 2026.
The circular was signed by Aliyu M. Ashiru on behalf of the Director of the Trade and Exchange Department and published on the bank’s official website on Tuesday.
The apex bank explained that the decision followed a temporary dispensation granted by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and applies strictly to Form M processing within the approved period.
According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the move was necessitated by operational challenges arising from the migration away from the legacy Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System II platform.
The bank said importers have been unable to validate or renew NAFDAC licences since December 2025, particularly due to difficulties encountered on the B’Odogwu platform introduced as part of the system transition.
To prevent mounting delays in import documentation and sustain trade flows, the Central Bank of Nigeria directed all authorised dealer banks to continue accepting affected licences during the window.
The bank stressed that the CBN NAFDAC licence window is time bound and warned that the approval would lapse automatically at the end of February 2026, urging strict compliance with the outlined terms.
The Central Bank of Nigeria added that the temporary relief is designed to ensure continuity in trade transactions while NAFDAC completes the integration of its systems with the National Single Window.
The policy intervention comes as Nigeria accelerates reforms aimed at modernising trade processes.
In October 2025, the Federal Government formally unveiled the National Single Window and a new Trade Facilitation Portal to streamline import and export documentation.
The initiative, championed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, is expected to deliver a decisive reduction in bureaucracy, improve transparency and strengthen Nigeria’s global trade competitiveness.
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The National Single Window is scheduled to become fully operational by March 2026.
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
