• Oyetola rallies West, Central African maritime leaders on efficient port state control
• AfCFTA deepens partnership with Africa to boost industrialisation, innovation

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening intra-African trade through digital innovation, declaring that his administration is implementing reforms to eliminate trade barriers, modernise border processes and unlock the vast economic potential of the African continent.
 
The President said Nigeria would strengthen collaboration with African countries to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), promote value addition across the continent and position African businesses to compete more effectively in the global digital economy.
 
Tinubu stated this in a message posted on his verified X handle, @officialABAT, as he welcomed policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, innovators and private sector leaders to Lagos for the 2026 African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Forum.
 
Describing this year’s forum as a watershed moment for the continent, the President said Africa must move beyond signing agreements and focus on practical implementation capable of delivering jobs, investment and shared prosperity.
 
“This year’s Forum, themed ‘Digital Trade for a Connected African Market,’ comes at a defining moment. Africa must now move from aspiration to execution, and from agreements on paper to prosperity in the lives of our people,” he said.
 
Tinubu noted that Nigeria was proud to serve as one of Africa’s AfCFTA Digital Trade Champions, adding that the country was matching that responsibility with bold policy reforms designed to fast-track continental economic integration.
 
He identified the National Single Window project as a key pillar of his administration’s trade policy.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has called on maritime administrations across West and Central Africa to strengthen Port State Control (PSC) systems as a critical strategy for enhancing maritime safety, facilitating trade and unlocking the full potential of Africa’s Blue Economy.
 
The minister made that call at the three-day workshop of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (Abuja MoU) Regional Workshop for Directors-General/Chief Executive Officers of Maritime Administrations and Heads of Port State Control in Lagos, which commenced on Monday.

Oyetola said effective maritime governance has become indispensable to Africa’s economic transformation, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
 
The workshop, which also marked the official launch of the Abuja MoU Port State Control Capacity-Building Programme, was supported by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and brought together maritime regulators, technical experts and development partners from across the Abuja MoU region.
 
Addressing delegates, Oyetola said the workshop aligns with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which recognises the Marine and Blue Economy as a major driver of economic diversification, trade, employment and sustainable development.

However, the AfCFTA, yesterday, reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaboration with the All Africa Intellectual Property (IP) Summit to drive industrialisation, innovation and economic transformation across the continent.
 
The AfCFTA also expressed confidence that, under the leadership of African Heads of State and Government and ministers, the continent would continue to make significant progress in implementing the world’s largest free trade area.
 
The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, stated this yesterday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the organisers of the All Africa Intellectual Property Summit to the AfCFTA Secretariat.
 
Mene was also presented with an award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and contributions to Africa’s trade and continental integration agenda.

He disclosed that intra-African trade reached $220 billion in 2024, while more than 10,000 certificates of origin have already been issued under the AfCFTA Agreement.