The Federal Government, through the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, has launched a plan to train at least three million Nigerian businesses on export requirements under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
The announcement was made during a three-day workshop held in Abuja, organized in partnership with the EU-World Customs Organization (WCO) Rules of Origin Africa Programme.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), designated as the country’s competent authority, led the training, which targets members of the Organized Private Sector, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and other key trade stakeholders.
Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, was represented at the event by Mr. Olusegun Olutayo, the office’s Technical Director and Senior Trade Expert. He described the training as part of a broader national effort to improve understanding of AfCFTA trade instruments.
“This workshop is not an isolated initiative. It is part of a broader series of engagements that the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office is rolling out nationwide to demystify AfCFTA instruments for our stakeholders,” Olutayo said.
He pointed to the Rules of Origin as a core element in accessing trade benefits under AfCFTA. “Among the most critical instruments and a major pillar for qualifying goods for preferential access across the continent,” he noted.
Olutayo encouraged attendees to apply the knowledge within their organizations. “Upon your return to your respective organizations, organize in-house briefings or peer-learning sessions so that the insights gained here cascade throughout your value chains,” he added.
Also addressing participants, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, represented by Deputy Comptroller-General Caroline Niagwan, said the NCS has made adjustments to support exports under AfCFTA.
She said the service had improved its ICT systems and created a dedicated export command to ease export documentation and procedures.
WCO Representative Faith Mathenge explained that the EU-WCO Origin Africa Programme, which started in 2022, is designed to assist customs and trade institutions in applying Rules of Origin under AfCFTA.
“The Programme, in collaboration with the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, has a clear goal of building cross-sectoral capacity in Rules of Origin to propel Nigeria into the next level of trade, including intra-African trade, trade with Europe, and trade with the rest of the world,” Mathenge said.
She added that the programme would continue to offer technical assistance and training to Nigerian institutions involved in trade.
