The Federal Government has identified 2026 as a critical year for delivering measurable results under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement as Nigeria prepares for the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation. Authorities say the focus will shift from planning to concrete execution to strengthen Nigeria’s trade position within Africa and globally.
Speaking during the first quarter 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee in Abuja, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said Nigeria must move beyond policy frameworks and ensure tangible outcomes from the continental trade agreement.
Oduwole, represented by her Special Adviser, Patience Okala, noted that Nigeria’s performance under AfCFTA would significantly influence its negotiating strength at the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting scheduled to take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
She stated that AfCFTA implementation must be coordinated and measurable, stressing that 2026 should focus on disciplined execution rather than policy drafts or concept papers.
The minister recalled the momentum generated during the AfCFTA Public–Private–Press Summit held in November 2025, where the Central Coordination Committee’s National Action Plan was unveiled to guide Nigeria’s participation in the trade agreement.
According to her, the action plan is built on five major pillars including governance and coordination, situational analysis, policy and legal alignment, engagement with private and regional stakeholders, and monitoring and evaluation.
Oduwole also revealed that a new business guide titled “AfCFTA Simplified: The ABCs of Doing Business under AfCFTA in Nigeria” would be introduced to help Nigerian companies better understand the provisions of the agreement and access regional markets.
The document provides simplified processes and guidance to help businesses engage with AfCFTA institutions and take advantage of opportunities for trade expansion and investment across the continent.
The minister further emphasised that implementation of AfCFTA must extend beyond federal institutions to include states, industrial clusters, special economic zones and export corridors.
She said the government had intensified engagement with state governments, investment promotion agencies, micro, small and medium enterprises, and production clusters to strengthen export readiness and align domestic industries with continental market opportunities.
On global trade negotiations, Oduwole stated that Nigeria had actively participated in shaping Africa’s unified position ahead of the WTO Ministerial Conference.
African trade ministers recently met in Maputo to align priorities including WTO reforms, agricultural trade issues, digital trade discussions and the adoption of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement.
Nigeria also supports the push for the African Union to obtain permanent observer status at the WTO.
Oduwole noted that Africa must approach multilateral negotiations from a position of regional unity in order to protect industrial policy space, support digital transformation and strengthen value chain development across the continent.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abba Rimi, represented by the Director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Naziru Abbas Mohammed, described the Central Coordination Committee as Nigeria’s key platform for aligning trade policies and coordinating inter-agency collaboration.
He said agencies represented in the committee play crucial roles in trade facilitation, export promotion, industrial development, customs modernisation and investment mobilisation.
Rimi stressed that AfCFTA represents more than a trade agreement, describing it as an economic framework capable of delivering significant benefits for businesses and citizens if implemented effectively.
Okala also highlighted ongoing efforts to simplify AfCFTA regulations and make them more accessible to businesses and the general public.
She explained that the simplified AfCFTA guide has been translated into several languages including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin and Arabic to improve understanding and increase participation across different regions of the country.
The AfCFTA agreement, which began trading operations in 2021, seeks to establish a single African market for goods and services across 54 countries with a combined gross domestic product exceeding $3 trillion.
Nigeria ratified the agreement in 2019 and has since been working to domesticate its provisions, including tariff concessions, trade commitments and the digital trade protocol.
Despite recent progress, businesses have continued to highlight challenges such as logistics constraints, high certification costs, limited trade financing and inefficiencies in payment systems.
Oduwole acknowledged these concerns, noting that feedback from the private sector would guide policy adjustments aimed at reducing trade barriers and improving market access.
Nigeria is also preparing to host AfCFTA Week in May 2026, which will include the Her AfCFTA Summit, the AfCFTA Council of Ministers Meeting and a Digital Trade Forum aimed at advancing regional trade integration.
