The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved a temporary window allowing importers to use expired National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) licences for import documentation, providing short-term relief to businesses affected by changes in Nigeria’s trade processing system.
The approval was conveyed in a circular dated January 26, 2026, issued by the CBN’s Trade and Exchange Department and published on the bank’s website on Tuesday.
According to the circular, authorised dealer banks are permitted to continue processing Form M applications with NAFDAC licences that expired on December 31, 2025. The dispensation takes immediate effect and will run for two months, ending on February 28, 2026.
The circular, signed by Aliyu M. Ashiru on behalf of the Director of the Trade and Exchange Department, stated that the approval follows a temporary dispensation granted by NAFDAC.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria wishes to notify all Authorised Dealer Banks and the general public of a temporary dispensation offered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control permitting the continued use of NAFDAC licences that expired on 31st December, 2025, for the processing of Forms M for a two-month temporary dispensation ending February 28, 2026,” the circular read.
The apex bank explained that the measure was necessitated by operational challenges arising from the migration from the legacy Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System II platform to a new system.
It noted that importers have been unable to validate or renew NAFDAC licences since the transition, particularly due to difficulties experienced on the B’Odogwu platform after December 2025.
To ease the bottlenecks and prevent delays in import documentation, the CBN directed all authorised dealer banks to continue accepting the affected licences within the approved period.
The bank stressed that the arrangement is strictly time-bound and will automatically lapse on February 28, 2026. It added that the move is intended to ensure continuity in trade transactions while NAFDAC completes the integration of its systems with the National Single Window.
In October 2025, the Federal Government unveiled the National Single Window and a new Trade Facilitation Portal as part of efforts to digitalise and streamline Nigeria’s import and export processes.
The initiative, led by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, is expected to reduce bureaucracy, improve transparency and enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.
The government has set March 2026 as the target date for the National Single Window to become fully operational.
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