The Federal Government said it is shifting its focus on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from policy commitments to measurable outcomes in trade, investment, production and job creation, as Nigeria seeks to deepen its participation in the continental market.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this at the third quarter 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee (CCC) in Abuja.

Oduwole said Nigeria’s assumption of the chairmanship of the Bureau of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, coupled with its role as co-champion of the Digital Trade Protocol, had placed a greater responsibility on the country to demonstrate practical leadership in implementing the agreement.

She said the country’s priority was to ensure that the benefits of AfCFTA were reflected in the activities of businesses and ordinary Nigerians rather than remaining at the level of policy discussions.

“We meet at a particularly important moment for Nigeria. This is an opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate the kind of leadership, coordination and practical implementation that the AfCFTA requires,” she said.

She said Nigeria must translate its AfCFTA commitments into increased trade, investment, production, jobs and prosperity.

She highlighted developments recorded during the quarter, including Nigeria’s hosting of AfCFTA Week, which featured the HerAfCFTA Regional Conference organised in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers and the second AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum.

She also disclosed that engagements with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the AfCFTA Secretariat on the Adjustment Fund had created opportunities for Nigerian businesses to access financing and technical support.

Oduwole added that efforts to advance the National Single Window (NSW) were being intensified to reduce the bottlenecks and costs associated with cross-border trade.

A major outcome of Nigeria’s efforts to expand market access was recorded during the Nigeria-Botswana AfCFTA Trade Mission in August, she said.

The mission, led by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), in collaboration with the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office (NACO), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and UNDP, resulted in OSC College of Fashion securing an order to supply 6,000 T-shirts to Botswana.

Oduwole said the development demonstrated the practical opportunities available to Nigerian businesses under the continental trade agreement.

“AfCFTA must ultimately be experienced by businesses, not merely discussed by policymakers. These are platforms through which we can showcase Nigerian enterprise, attract investment, and connect our producers to continental buyers,” she said.

She added that Nigeria already had the market, entrepreneurs and productive capacity required to benefit from the agreement, but needed to connect these assets to the opportunities created by AfCFTA.

The National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of NACO, Patience Okala, said Nigeria was recording measurable progress in connecting domestic businesses with continental opportunities, addressing trade barriers and digitising trade processes.

Presenting a report on Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation, Okala listed the hosting of AfCFTA Week, reduction of certificate of origin processing time to 24 hours, resolution of eight non-tariff barrier (NTB) cases, support for five businesses to access the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund and the outcome of the Nigeria-Botswana Trade Mission among the key milestones recorded during the quarter.

She said the reduction in certificate of origin processing time was part of efforts to make it easier for Nigerian businesses to take advantage of preferential market access under AfCFTA.