Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, says Nigeria is now ready to commence trading within Africa under the preferential terms of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, having fulfilled key legal and procedural obligations.
Oduwole disclosed this in the Nigeria AfCFTA Achievements Report 2025, explaining that the government had gazetted the relevant legal instruments relating to trade in goods, services and digital trade, paving the way for Nigerian businesses to benefit from AfCFTA tariff preferences.
She said the ministry had undertaken “strategic initiatives to position and equip Nigerian businesses to succeed in the market,” adding that the agreement was designed to promote trade-led growth by progressively eliminating tariffs and non-tariff barriers among member states.
Describing AfCFTA as the “apotheosis of Africa’s journey of trade-led economic integration,” Oduwole said the framework would enable African producers, investors, traders and workers to retain more value on the continent.
She noted that Nigeria had historically played a leading role in continental economic integration, citing the Lagos Plan of Action of 1980 and the 1991 Abuja Treaty, as well as the conclusion of AfCFTA negotiations in Abuja in 2017.
Nigeria signed the AfCFTA Agreement in 2019 and ratified it in 2020. Oduwole said implementation was reinvigorated in 2025 under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, with the country recording a number of milestones.
These include becoming the first AfCFTA state party to ratify the Protocol on Digital Trade, the establishment of an AfCFTA-dedicated air cargo export corridor, and the publication of a five-year implementation review in July 2025, as required under Article 28 of the treaty.
The review, she added, provided “an honest and objective self-reflection” on frictions, challenges and successes, informing fresh policy actions to better position Nigerian enterprises for opportunities in the single African market.
