Nigeria Takes AfCFTA Leadership, Unveils Agenda for Trade, Industrial Growth
Nigeria has assumed the chairmanship of the Bureau of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Council of Ministers Responsible for Trade, pledging to fast-track implementation of the continental trade pact to boost industrialization, expand intra-African trade and drive inclusive economic growth across the continent.
The new role was announced at the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers Responsible for Trade held in Abuja, where the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said Africa must move beyond negotiations and focus on delivering tangible economic benefits for businesses, women, youths and the continent's over 1.4 billion people.
Oduwole described the AfCFTA as one of the African Union's most transformative initiatives and reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to working with member states, the AfCFTA Secretariat, development finance institutions and the private sector to deepen implementation of the agreement.
She outlined Nigeria's priorities to include strengthening regional value chains, expanding digital trade and infrastructure, increasing access to trade finance, empowering women- and youth-led enterprises, and promoting stronger public-private partnerships.
The Minister also urged African countries to adopt emerging legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Electronic Cargo Documents to modernise trade documentation, lower transaction costs and facilitate secure cross-border digital trade.
Highlighting Nigeria's progress under the agreement, Oduwole said the country has operationalised its AfCFTA Coordination Office, submitted tariff concessions and services commitments, intensified stakeholder engagement, rolled out export readiness programmes and support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). She added that Nigeria became the first AfCFTA State Party to ratify the Protocol on Digital Trade.
Outgoing chair of the Bureau, Mohammed Saleh, congratulated Nigeria on assuming the leadership, expressing confidence in its ability to steer the next phase of the continental trade agreement. He noted that Egypt's tenure recorded significant progress in negotiations on Rules of Origin for textiles, apparel and automotive products, alongside the adoption of key frameworks on digital trade, financial and communication services, competition policy and intellectual property rights.
Also speaking, AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, said the adoption of the remaining annexes to the Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights marked the completion of Phase II negotiations, signalling a shift towards full implementation.
According to Mene, more than 10,000 certificates of origin had been issued under the agreement by March 2026, reflecting increasing commercial activity, while intra-African trade is projected to hit about 230 billion dollars this year, driven largely by manufacturing and value-added products.
He identified changing global supply chains, digital transformation and Africa's youthful population as major opportunities for the continent to strengthen its position in global trade, while calling for sustainable financing for the AfCFTA Secretariat and stronger collaboration among governments, development finance institutions and the private sector.
The meeting ended with member states reaffirming their commitment to translating the AfCFTA's legal and institutional gains into concrete economic outcomes through stronger regional value chains, improved trade facilitation, digital innovation, industrial development and deeper continental integration under Nigeria's leadership.
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