The federal government says it is intensifying efforts to promote freer movement across Africa to boost trade, investment, and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said this in an interview on Friday in Abuja.

Ms Oduwole spoke on the outcome of the Biashara Afrika 2026 Forum held recently in Togo.

The minister said trade could not thrive where entrepreneurs and investors faced movement restrictions, adding that easier movement of people, goods and investments remained crucial to unlocking opportunities under the AfCFTA.

She said the government was committed to removing barriers hindering trade and business mobility across African markets.

According to her, mobility remains critical to the success of the AfCFTA, adding that Nigeria joined other African countries in reaffirming its commitment to free movement of people, services and investments.

The minister stated that visa policies remained the responsibility of individual countries, but noted the growing support for business-friendly travel across Africa.

She commended the Togolese leadership for committing to removing visa requirements for African travellers and described the move as aligning with AfCFTA’s vision of deepening regional integration and expanding intra-African trade.

She also praised Rwanda’s progressive visa policy, adding that it had strengthened business travel, tourism and regional investment.

Ms Oduwole said Nigeria continued to engage through the AfCFTA secretariat, the African Union, and bilateral channels to simplify visa procedures.

She said discussions focused on visa-on-arrival arrangements and mutual recognition of business travel documentation.

According to her, several African countries have already introduced reforms easing market access for Nigerian business travellers.

Ms Oduwole said Nigeria was also addressing trade barriers through the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol and improved customs cooperation.

She said digital trade facilitation, transport connectivity and better logistics would reduce business costs across African borders.

The minister said Nigeria could not determine timelines for other countries but expected continued progress as the AfCFTA implementation advanced.

She said freer movement would create opportunities for trade, investment, jobs and economic growth across Africa.

On economic impact, Ms Oduwole said easier travel would help businesses access markets, attract investment and expand exports.

She said small and medium enterprises (SMEs), women-led businesses and non-oil exporters would benefit significantly from improved regional market access.

She noted that Nigeria had inaugurated the Nigeria-Uganda air cargo corridor with Uganda Airlines to improve exports to East Africa.

She said the initiative reduced cargo costs and improved access for exporters, particularly SMEs and women-owned businesses.

Ms Oduwole further said that Nigeria was expanding similar trade facilitation partnerships with RwandAir to improve regional connectivity.

She said the partnerships demonstrated practical efforts to lower logistics costs beyond policy discussions.

On intra-African trade barriers, the minister identified non-tariff barriers, fragmented regulations and high logistics costs as major challenges.

She also listed cross-border payment difficulties, business mobility restrictions and regulatory uncertainty for digital firms as challenges that need to be addressed.

The minister said Nigeria had gazetted its provisional schedule of tariff concessions (PSTCs) to accelerate the AfCFTA implementation.

She said that the government also established dedicated air cargo corridors, thereby reducing freight costs by between 50 and 75 per cent.

Ms Oduwole said Nigeria was implementing the national single window to simplify domestic trade processing, adding that the government had mapped over 200 digital service firms across 17 sectors to strengthen regional digital trade.

She said Nigeria remained focused on reducing trade costs, improving market access and ensuring businesses benefited fully from the AfCFTA preferences.

(NAN)