Ministry says Nigeria is ready, equipped to trade in AfCFTA market

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) has declared that Nigeria is now substantively ready, equipped, and positioned to compete within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Following a year of reinvigorated implementation in 2025, the government has fulfilled legal obligations and launched some infrastructure it says will empower local businesses in the continental market.

Nigeria has achieved several “firsts” in its journey toward continental integration, becoming the first State Party to conclude a mandated five-year implementation review and the first to ratify the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.

Also, to ensure businesses can benefit from preferential treatment, the Ministry has gazetted key legal instruments across three primary domains.

In April 2025, Nigeria gazetted its Provisional Schedule of Tariff Concessions, allowing for reduced or eliminated tariffs on goods originating within Africa.

The government also submitted a Schedule of Specific Commitments to the ECOWAS Commission in October 2025, covering over 90 services across priority sectors such as financial services, transport, and tourism.

Additionally, with the ratification of the Digital Trade Protocol in November 2025, Nigerian digital products now enjoy enhanced regulatory protections and preferential access across the continent6.

The Ministry has introduced practical tools to lower the barriers to entry for Nigerian exporters. One of such is a dedicated exports air cargo corridor to East and Southern Africa that was launched in partnership with Uganda Airlines and the UNDP.

Read also: FMITI, states to identify export products in all LGAs under AfCFTA drive

This corridor offers cargo rates that are 50 percent to 75 percent cheaper than standard market rates

A new market intelligence tool, developed with the UNDP, provides data-driven insights for firms trading cosmetics, textiles, and agro-processed products in 13 key African markets.

On digital mapping, the Ministry completed the first-ever national mapping of digital services, creating a directory of over 200 firms ready to expand into priority markets like Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa.

Institutional coordination
To sustain this momentum, Jumoke Oduwole,the minister of Industry, Trade and Investment inaugurated the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee (CCC) in March 2025.

This “whole-of-economy” structure unites over 20 public and private stakeholder institutions, including the Nigeria Customs Service and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, to ensure a unified national approach.

What to expect in 2026
The Ministry has said that its roadmap for 2026 includes a nationwide sensitisation campaign and a collaborative effort with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to identify at least one exportable product from every Local Government Area in the country.

“Nigeria is Africa’s champion of trade-led regional integration,” its 2025 report states, noting that the country’s economic development is now inseparable from the success of the AfCFTA market.

With hosting rights secured for the Intra-African Trade Fair 2027, Nigeria is positioning itself as the primary innovation and production hub for the “One African Market.”