The federal government has urged African countries to accelerate African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation to drive industrialisation, digital trade and shared prosperity.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, made the call at the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers Responsible for Trade, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ms Oduwole said that Nigeria would prioritise faster implementation by ensuring state parties move from commitments to concrete actions under the agreement.

According to her, African countries should move from AfCFTA commitments to concrete actions that deliver jobs, trade and economic growth.

“Africa must shift from negotiating agreements to ensuring AfCFTA delivers tangible benefits for businesses, producers, women, youths and more than 1.4 billion Africans.

“African countries should also strengthen regional value chains to increase trade in goods produced across the continent,” Ms Oduwole said.

The minister also called for investment in digital public infrastructure, interoperable payment systems and trusted cross-border data flows to support digital commerce.

She advocated expanded access to finance through the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund and other mechanisms, especially for women-led businesses, youths and MSMEs.

The minister also urged member states to embrace emerging legal instruments, including electronic cargo documentation, to modernise trade, reduce costs and improve customs efficiency.

Ms Oduwole pledged that Nigeria would work withmember states to ensure AfCFTA becomes Africa’s engine of growth, industrialisation and shared prosperity.

She noted that Nigeria had implemented major reforms since ratifying the agreement to maximise opportunities under the continental free trade arrangement.

According to her, Nigeria operationalised the AfCFTA coordination office and developed a national implementation strategy to drive whole-of-government execution.

“Nigeria also submitted its schedule of tariff concessions and specific commitments under the Protocol on Trade in Services.

“The country has, as well, advanced digital trade as co-champion of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol through regulatory collaboration across African countries,” she said.

The Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene, said that negotiations on the agreement’s legal instruments had been concluded, shifting attention from legal frameworks to accelerated implementation across member states.

Mr Mene said that the implementation was gaining momentum, with more than 10,000 certificates of origin issued under the agreement by the end of March 2026.

“Africa’s total trade is projected to grow by about 10 per cent in 2026, with intra-African trade expected to reach about $230 billion,” Mr Mene said.

The secretary-general urged member states to ratify outstanding protocols, establish national implementation committees and integrate AfCFTA into development plans and budgets.

He also called for sustainable financing of the AfCFTA secretariat, adding that predictable funding was essential to support implementation, industrialisation and Africa’s long-term economic transformation.

Speaking, the outgoing chairman of the Council of Ministers, AfCFTA, Mohammed Saleh, urged African countries to accelerate implementation of the AfCFTA to unlock trade, investment and industrialisation across the continent.

According to him, African countries must speed up AfCFTA implementation to achieve stronger regional trade, investment and sustainable economic development.

Mr Saleh called on AfCFTA state parties to remove trade barriers and fully implement the agreement to deliver tangible economic benefits.

He thanked Nigeria for hosting the meetings and praised its hospitality, while appreciating participating countries for their support in advancing continental trade negotiations.

He called on the member states to work closely with national authorities to eliminate obstacles facing exporters and importers. 

(NAN)