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The Federal Government of Nigeria has urged African nations to transition from negotiating agreements to executing concrete actions under the African Continental Free Trade Area – AfCFTA.

Speaking at the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers Responsible for Trade in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, emphasized that faster implementation is vital to driving industrialisation, digital trade, and shared prosperity. She highlighted the urgent need for the trade agreement to deliver tangible benefits—such as jobs and economic growth—to businesses, producers, women, youth, and the more than 1.4 billion people across the continent.

To achieve these goals, Minister Oduwole called for strategic investments in regional value chains to boost the trade of goods manufactured within Africa. She also advocated for the modernization of trade through digital public infrastructure, interoperable payment systems, and secure cross-border data flows.

Furthermore, the minister championed expanded financial access through mechanisms like the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, particularly tailored to support women-led enterprises, youth, and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises – MSMEs, alongside adopting emerging legal instruments like electronic cargo documentation to cut costs and improve customs efficiency.

Nigeria has already undertaken major internal reforms since ratifying the agreement to position itself as a launchpad for these opportunities. Dr. Oduwole noted that the country operationalised its national AfCFTA coordination office and developed a comprehensive national implementation strategy to drive execution across all levels of government. Additionally, Nigeria has submitted its schedule of tariff concessions, outlined specific commitments under the Protocol on Trade in Services, and serves as Co-Champion of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol to foster regulatory harmony across member nations.

Supporting this call to action, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, Dr. Wamkele Mene, announced that negotiations on the agreement’s legal instruments have successfully concluded, officially shifting the continental focus toward accelerated implementation. According to Dr. Mene, the free trade area is gaining significant momentum, with over 10,000 certificates of origin issued under the agreement by the end of March 2026. Driven by this progress, Africa’s total trade is projected to expand by roughly 10% in 2026, with intra-African trade expected to scale to approximately $230 billion.

To sustain this upward trajectory, Dr. Mene and the outgoing Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Dr. Mohammed Saleh, jointly pressed member states to ratify outstanding protocols, embed AfCFTA goals into national budgets, and establish stable funding for the AfCFTA Secretariat.

Dr. Saleh specifically appealed to state parties to dismantle existing trade barriers and collaborate closely with national authorities to eliminate the everyday obstacles facing exporters and importers. Embracing these structural alignments will ensure that the AfCFTA ultimately acts as Africa’s primary engine for long-term economic transformation and sustainable development.