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Nigeria has cut the processing time for AfCFTA Certificates of Origin from more than five days to 24 hours following the digitisation and automation of the certification process.
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NACO says eight non-tariff barrier cases have been resolved, while five Nigerian businesses have applied for financing under the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund.
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A Nigeria-Botswana trade mission has already produced a 6,000-T-shirt supply contract, as the government seeks to move more Nigerian businesses into African markets.
September 09, (THEWILL) — Nigeria has reduced the processing time for Certificates of Origin under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from more than five days to 24 hours, in a move to make it easier for local businesses to access preferential trade opportunities across Africa.
The National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office (NACO), Patience Okala, disclosed this at the third-quarter meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee in Abuja.
Okala attributed the improvement to the digitisation and automation of the Certificate of Origin process, covering registration, verification and certification by the Nigeria Customs Service.
The Certificate of Origin is important for businesses seeking to trade under AfCFTA preferences because it establishes that goods qualify for preferential treatment under the agreement.
Faster Certification Targets Export Bottlenecks
According to Okala, reducing the processing period to 24 hours would allow Nigerian businesses to access AfCFTA trade preferences faster and reduce administrative delays that could undermine their competitiveness in African markets.
She said eight reported cases of non-tariff barriers had also been resolved since the committee’s second-quarter meeting.
Other challenges being addressed include access to finance, product standards, logistics and market information, which continue to limit the ability of Nigerian businesses to take advantage of the continental market.
On financing, Okala said five Nigerian businesses had applied for funding under the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund following an initial engagement with eligible companies.
She added that a female-led business had advanced to the next stage of the process with NACO’s support.
The facility provides Nigerian businesses access to part of a minimum $10 million fund intended to help companies scale production, improve competitiveness and expand into African markets.
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Trade Missions Begin Producing Results
Nigeria’s efforts to deepen AfCFTA participation have also extended to trade missions and business-to-business engagements.
Okala said the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, working with NACO, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the United Nations Development Programme, led Nigerian businesses on a Nigeria-Botswana AfCFTA Trade Mission.
The mission has already produced a commercial deal, with CSO Fashion Academy securing a contract to supply 6,000 T-shirts to a Botswana business.
Chumpy’s Food also introduced its instant ready-to-eat rice during the mission and received positive interest from businesses and consumers in Botswana.
Okala said Nigeria had received recognition from the AfCFTA Secretariat and other African countries and had been invited to lead a peer-learning session on AfCFTA implementation during forthcoming institutional meetings in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is progressing with efforts to domesticate the AfCFTA agreement, with a draft Domestication Bill currently before the House Committee on Commerce of the National Assembly.
The government has also launched the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade initiative to support implementation of the Digital Trade Protocol and strengthen Nigeria’s digital trade ecosystem.
For the fourth quarter, Okala said NACO would focus on simplifying the AfCFTA framework, expanding stakeholder engagement, organising webinars and peer-learning activities, and developing additional tools to help businesses understand and use the agreement.
She said the ultimate objective was to increase the number of Nigerian businesses trading under AfCFTA, expand Nigerian products across African markets, strengthen links between producers and buyers, and improve access to finance and standards.
Okala urged stakeholders to ensure AfCFTA moves beyond a policy framework and becomes a source of concrete economic opportunities for Nigerian businesses.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze is a writer specializing in business and economic journalism. At THEWILL News Media, she translates market trends, financial developments, and policy shifts into clear and engaging stories.
