Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
The federal government says its focus for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is now shifting from policy commitments to measurable trade, investment, jobs and prosperity for Nigerians. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, stated this yesterday at the third Quarter 2026 Meeting of AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee (CCC) held at Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
Oduwole said Nigeria’s assumption of Chair of the Bureau of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, alongside its role as Co-Champion of the Digital Trade Protocol, presented both responsibility and opportunity.
She stated, “We meet at a particularly important moment for Nigeria. This is an opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate the kind of leadership, coordination and practical implementation that the AfCFTA requires.”
Oduwole stressed that the objective must be to translate AfCFTA commitments into increased trade, investment, production, jobs and prosperity, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister highlighted progress made in the last quarter, including Nigeria’s hosting of AfCFTA Week, which featured the HerAfCFTA Regional Conference with UNDP, the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, and the second AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum.
She said engagement with Afreximbank and the AfCFTA secretariat on the Adjustment Fund had opened avenues for Nigerian enterprises to access financing and technical support.
National Single Window was also being advanced to reduce trade friction.
In August, FMITI in collaboration with NACO, NEPC and UNDP led a Nigeria–Botswana AfCFTA Trade Mission. A key outcome was OSC College of Fashion securing an order to supply 6,000 T-shirts in Botswana.
Oduwole said, “AfCFTA must ultimately be experienced by businesses, not merely discussed by policymakers. These are platforms through which we can showcase Nigerian enterprise, attract investment, and connect our producers to continental buyers.”
She added, “The opportunity before us is significant. We have the market, the entrepreneurs, the productive capacity and now an increasingly stronger institutional platform.
“What we must do is connect these assets to the opportunities created by the AfCFTA.”
Similarly, Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office (NACO) said Nigeria was making measurable progress in connecting businesses to continental opportunities, resolving trade barriers, and digitising trade processes under AfCFTA. National Coordinator/CEO of NACO, Mrs. Patience Okalawhi, stated this during the meeting.
Okalawhi said with Nigeria now chairing the bureau, there was greater responsibility on stakeholders to strengthen implementation in areas of market access, trade facilitation, and private-sector participation.
She said NACO, working with CCC members, facilitated the resolution of eight reported cases of Non-Tariff Barriers affecting Nigerian businesses.
Okalawhi disclosed that Nigeria’s CCC model had earned continental recognition.
“The AfCFTA secretariat has formally requested Nigeria to lead a peer-learning session on AfCFTA Implementation for other African countries at the next Institutional Meetings in Zimbabwe,” she said.