Kuni Tyessi, Abuja
The Federal Government has reduced the processing time for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Certificates of Origin to 24 hours, down from over five days, in a bid to boost intra-African trade and ease business for Nigerian exporters.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the 2026 Third Quarter meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee.
The minister, who said Nigerian goods remain competitive and are in high demand across the continent, cited the recent Nigeria-Botswana AfCFTA Trade Mission where CSO Fashion Academy secured an immediate order to supply 6,000 T-shirts to a Botswana business.
“A lot of Nigerians have the perception that Nigerian goods are not competitive on this continent. Nigerian entrepreneurs have shown that they can compete anywhere in the world, and are doing particularly well in the rest of Africa,” Oduwole said.
She noted that the country’s non-oil exports have grown exponentially due to increased trade across Africa.
According to her, a survey of 13 eastern and southern African countries showed high demand for shea butter, zobo drink, plantain chips, prepacked jollof rice, female apparel and wigs.
To facilitate exports, the minister said Nigeria opened an air cargo corridor with Uganda Air last year and added another airline this year.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mrs. Patience Okala, said the reduction in certificate processing time was achieved through the digitisation and automation of registration, verification and certification by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Okala added that Nigeria has resolved eight reported cases of Non-Tariff Barriers affecting businesses trading under AfCFTA between Q2 and Q3.
She disclosed that the AfCFTA Secretariat has formally requested Nigeria to lead a peer-learning session on implementation for other African countries during upcoming institutional meetings in Zimbabwe.
The NACO boss also announced that five Nigerian businesses have applied for the $10 million AfCFTA Adjustment Fund established with Afreximbank, with one female-led business progressing to the next stage.
She congratulated Dr. Oduwole on her election as Chairperson of the Bureau of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, noting that the position places Nigeria in charge of all AfCFTA institutional committees.
Okala listed other Q3 achievements to include the hosting of AfCFTA Week, the HerAfCFTA event for women-owned businesses, the 18th Council of Ministers meeting in Abuja, and the AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum in Lagos.
She said the government has also launched the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade, ADAPT initiative to support implementation of the Digital Trade Protocol.
Looking ahead to Q4, Okala said NACO will prioritise simplifying the AfCFTA framework, intensifying sub-national engagements, and developing more business-friendly tools.
“Ultimately, we need to see more Nigerian businesses trading under AfCFTA, more Nigerian products entering African markets and stronger participation of Nigerian businesses in continental trade,” she said.