By Progress Godfrey
ABUJA — Nigeria is set to deepen its participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, in 2026, with the Federal Government moving to identify at least one exportable product in each of the country’s 774 local government areas as part of a broader strategy to scale production, boost non-oil exports and strengthen competitiveness across Africa.
The plan forms a central plank of the Nigeria AfCFTA Agenda in 2026, building on implementation milestones recorded in 2025 and aimed at positioning the country to better exploit opportunities under the continent-wide trade pact.
Implementation of the AfCFTA in Nigeria is overseen by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and operationalised through the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee, CCC, working with development partners across public and private sector institutions.
As part of efforts to mobilise AfCFTA-inclined production nationwide, the report said the Ministry and the AfCFTA CCC would undertake a nationwide AfCFTA awareness and sensitisation campaign.
“FMITI will work with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and state governments to identify a minimum of one product that each council can export into the AfCFTA market,” the report stated.
Beyond local production, the 2026 agenda places strong emphasis on creating an enabling policy and regulatory environment to support full implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and its protocols, with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment leading regulatory alignment efforts.
The report also outlines plan to demystify AfCFTA rules and compliance requirements through a series of targeted publications for businesses, alongside measures to strengthen institutional coordination and improve accountability among public sector agencies involved in trade facilitation.
On investment and industrial capacity, the document notes, “Investment mobilisation efforts with foreign and domestic investors will prioritise the exponential increase of productive capacity in key sectors, to position Nigeria as the innovation, production and distribution hub of the AfCFTA market.”
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