Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Friday, said that the state has been positioned as a global player in export business and a strategic connecting hub for other states seeking access to international markets.

Makinde stated that this was made possible following the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) strategy by Oyo State in 2025.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde, spoke during the ‘Training of Trainers Workshop’ organised for stakeholders involved in the implementation of the AfCFTA strategy in the state.

According to the governor, Oyo State chose to be the first sub-national government in Africa to sign and domesticate the AfCFTA strategy because the state government decided to be deliberate and forward-looking in unlocking the massive opportunities in trades, export business and industrialisation.

He explained that the state keyed into the initiative because of its vast potential to expand market access, remove tariff barriers, and create new opportunities for Oyo State products across African countries, adding that the AfCFTA framework would significantly enhance the state’s agricultural business, particularly in terms of export volumes and rising demand for agricultural produce.

According to the governor, the initiative would also provide a platform to promote Oyo State’s service sector, including education, healthcare, tourism, and other service-based industries within the state.

He described the initiative as an integrated opportunity that brings together both state and non-state actors, stressing that effective implementation depends largely on capacity-building

He explained that participants at the workshop would be exposed to the opportunities available in the AfCFTA implementation strategy, the integrated value chain, regulatory mechanisms, and the critical roles regulators must play to ensure compliance and success.
According to him, the trainees are expected to return to their respective associations and disseminate the knowledge gained, thereby ensuring a broad-based understanding and effective grassroots implementation of the AfCFTA strategy across the state.

Earlier, in her welcome address, the Special Adviser on International Trade and African Continental Free Trade Area, Ms Neo Theodore Tlhaselo, congratulated the AfCFTA Secretariat, Oyo State government, partners and participants at the workshop on their dedication and commitment to the implementation of the AfCFTA in the state.

She noted that no government could implement the strategy without substantial investment in the AfCFTA by non-state actors. She, therefore, charged government partners to invest in the implementation of AfCFTA without depending on the government.

“So, this Train the Trainers Workshop will equip us to be able to articulate that which we intend to achieve. And to also align whatever strategies and plans that you have within your organisations to what we intend to achieve as a state.

“This workshop is mandatory. It is what is expected of us by the AfCFTA Secretariat. So, we are ensuring that we are compliant to every exercise that is expected of us,” she said.

The event had in attendance the Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives, Adeniyi Adebisi; the Senior Consultant, Conversation With Africa, Mr. Mawana; Special Adviser to the Governor on Homeland Security and Migration Service, ACG Segun Adegoke (rtd); Director-General, Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency, Mr. Tilewa Folami; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment, and Cooperatives; development partners and other stakeholders.