Nigeria Accelerates AfCFTA Implementation to Strengthen Africa’s Single Market
The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), under the leadership of the Hon. Minister Dr Jumoke Oduwole has recorded significant milestones in 2025 that reinforce the country’s leadership role in advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and strengthening Africa’s trade-led economic integration.
The AfCFTA represents the culmination of Africa’s long-standing ambition to create a unified continental market anchored on progressive tariff liberalisation, removal of non-tariff barriers, and enhanced regulatory cooperation. At its core, the Agreement reflects the understanding that Africa’s economic transformation is inseparable from its ability to trade more with itself and retain greater value within the continent. Nigeria, historically at the forefront of Africa’s integration efforts and the host of key foundational instruments such as the Lagos Plan of Action and the Abuja Treaty, has continued to demonstrate renewed commitment to this vision.
In 2025, FMITI reinvigorated Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation agenda through decisive institutional, policy, and market-facing actions. Early in the year, Nigeria hosted the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat alongside Nigerian digital operators, reinforcing engagement between continental institutions and the private sector. The African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government appointed His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as Co-Champion of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, in recognition of Nigeria’s leadership in advancing Africa’s digital trade agenda, and commended the country for its contributions in this critical area.
To strengthen coordination and delivery, Nigeria inaugurated the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee, establishing a whole-of-economy framework that brings together key public and private sector stakeholders to drive effective implementation of the Agreement and its Protocols. This framework has enhanced clarity of roles, accountability, and coherence across institutions involved in AfCFTA execution.
Nigeria took concrete steps to operationalise its AfCFTA obligations by gazetting its Provisional Schedule of Tariff Concessions for Trade in Goods, thereby enabling Nigerian products to benefit from preferential treatment across AfCFTA State Parties and extending similar preferences to goods originating from Africa. In parallel, Nigeria submitted its Schedule of Specific Commitments for Trade in Services to the ECOWAS Commission, reflecting steady progress toward the progressive liberalisation of priority services sectors under the AfCFTA framework.
Recognising the transformative role of digital trade, Nigeria approved the ratification of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, positioning Nigerian digital products and services to access African markets under improved regulatory protections. This commitment was supported by the first-ever national mapping of digital services, which produced a comprehensive directory of Nigerian digital firms across multiple sectors and informed Nigeria’s leadership in convening a regional digital trade market access and regulators’ roundtable with key African partners.
Beyond regulatory actions, FMITI prioritised practical measures to equip Nigerian businesses to compete and succeed in the AfCFTA market. A dedicated exports air cargo corridor to East and Southern Africa was launched in partnership with Uganda Airlines and the United Nations Development Programme, significantly reducing logistics costs and improving market access. Market intelligence tools covering selected goods and sectors across multiple African markets were also developed to support informed business decision-making.
Nigeria further consolidated its continental influence by securing hosting rights for major AfCFTA-related convenings, including the AfCFTA Digital Forum, the Creative Africa Nexus 2026, the Intra-African Trade Fair 2027, and the 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers. These milestones underscore Nigeria’s role as a convenor, facilitator, and champion of intra-African trade.
In line with the AfCFTA Agreement, Nigeria became the first State Party to conclude and publish a comprehensive review of AfCFTA implementation at the five-year mark. This objective self-assessment has informed corrective actions and strategic priorities, while the convening of the AfCFTA Public Sector, Private Sector and Press Summit fostered shared understanding of the Agreement and launched a nationwide sensitisation and consultation process aimed at ensuring the AfCFTA delivers tangible benefits for Nigerians.
Looking ahead, Nigeria’s AfCFTA agenda will focus on deepening regulatory alignment, strengthening institutional coordination, expanding trade data systems, and intensifying engagement with states, local governments, and the private sector. These efforts are designed to mobilise production, boost exports, attract investment, and position Nigeria as an innovation, production, and distribution hub within the AfCFTA market.
Through sustained leadership, strategic reforms, and market-oriented interventions, Nigeria remains firmly positioned as a driving force in building a thriving, inclusive, and prosperous One African Market under the AfCFTA.
