• “Nigeria’s chairmanship of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers positions the country to set the continental trade agenda,” expert says
By Abubakar Basiru and Bakangi Sarah Bare
A renowned scholar of Law, Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan, has explained what Nigeria’s assumption of the chairmanship of the African Council of Ministers on AfCFTA means for the country, saying it “positions the country to set the continental trade agenda, directly aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s industrialization and export diversification goals.”
Ladan said Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, “assumed the chairmanship, enabling the nation to drive real-time solutions to non-tariff barriers, transit issues, and digital trade integration across Africa.”
He outlined what the chairmanship means for Nigeria across key areas, using the country’s own “War Room” approach as the starting point.
“Strategy:- The ‘War Room’ Approach: Domestically, Nigeria has set up the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee (CCC), which brings together over 20 public and private sector stakeholders (e.g., Customs, NAFDAC, SON, NEXIM Bank, and the [Manufacturers Association of Nigeria]) to streamline policy implementation,” Ladan said.
On exports, he stated: “Export Mapping: The country is actively mapping export products state-by-state to boost the supply capacity of Nigerian businesses so they can effectively service the 1.4+ billion person African market.”
Ladan also pointed to Nigeria’s continental leadership role. “Continental Leadership: Nigeria is using its chairmanship to spearhead the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative, leveraging air cargo corridors (such as those established with Uganda Airlines) to lower logistical costs for Nigerian exporters,” he said.
Giving the status of intra-African trade, he noted: “Intra-African Trade Growth: Nigeria’s trade value with the continent grew by $1.55 billion in 2025, reaching a total of $9.02 billion.”
On implementation, Ladan said: “Early Implementation Milestones: Nigeria was the first state party to publish a five-year AfCFTA implementation review and has gazetted its Provisional Schedule of Tariff Concessions.”
He added on digital trade: “Digital Leadership: Nigeria co-chairs the Protocol on Digital Trade. The country has ratified this protocol and launched the first-ever national mapping of digital services to build an infrastructure for e-commerce and tech exports.”
On legal domestication, Ladan stated: “Commitments on Legal Domestication: Nigeria is working through its National Assembly to formally domesticate all ratified AfCFTA Agreementh and protocols into national law, ensuring that executive policies align fully with continental obligations.”[sic]
For trade facilitation, he said: “Trade Facilitation: Nigeria is a pilot country for the AfCFTA Simplified Trade Regime (STR), which simplifies customs documentation and procedures specifically to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and small-scale cross-border traders.”
Ladan said Nigeria’s export profile is also changing under AfCFTA. “Trade Export Diversification: While crude oil remains a major component of intra-African exports, Nigeria’s trade profile within Africa is expanding rapidly to include manufactured goods, cement, urea, chemicals, and processed agricultural products,” he explained.
He further noted that government is putting financial safeguards in place. “Leveraging Afreximbank & Adjustment Fund: To protect domestic businesses and compensate for potential tariff revenue losses, Nigeria is positioning itself to utilize the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, which safeguards economic stability as trade barriers are dismantled,” Ladan said.
Concluding, the professor said the chairmanship will also strengthen Nigeria’s institutions. “Strengthening Institutional Capacity: The chairmanship enables Nigeria to collaborate closer with continental institutions to improve transit-bond guarantees, harmonized customs systems, and digital tracking technologies,” he stated.