The federal government in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has unveiled the Nigeria Trade Information Portal (NTIP) to assist developing World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries in complying easily with the WTO-Trade Facilitation Agreement
The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, at the launch on Monday In Abuja, described the portal as an outcome of collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) with support from the European Union and German Technical Cooperation.
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“As you are aware, UNCTAD commenced the establishment of trade information portals in three West African countries, namely Nigeria, Benin, and Mali as a pilot phase in 2016.
“Today, it is with great satisfaction that we acknowledge the success of the collaboration between UNCTAD, GIZ, EU, and the Federal Government. Our ties have indeed become stronger over the years”, he said.
The minister said that the online information portal which clearly described import, export, and transit procedures was a great step toward the enhancement of transparency, predictability, and a mechanism for trade facilitation reforms in Nigeria.
“NITP is not only a tool to enhance transparency by Article 1 of the WTO-TFA but also to identify bottlenecks and unnecessary administrative constraints and also to drive the expected reforms for trade facilitation.
“Establishment of NITP is a breakthrough for automation of trade procedures in Nigeria.
“It is important to state that trade information portals in some pioneer countries have contributed to building trust between various stakeholders,” Adebayo said.
According to the minister, some of the key features of the NITP (https://nigeriatradepprtal.fmiti.gov.ng) include a content management system where all texts, colors, pictures, and logos of the public interface can be modified.
“Others are procedures and all corresponding data can be registered and updated, menus can be organized and administrative rights can be easily configured from a password-protected administrative interface.
“System administration requires no computer expertise and can be mastered after a few hours of training,” he said.
