By Joy Onu
Opportunities for Nigerian businesses to expand across the continent took centre stage in Kano as stakeholders from government and the private sector gathered for a high-level engagement aimed at deepening participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The two-day Sub-national Public-Private-Press (P3) engagement was led by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, who emphasized the importance of translating the continental trade agreement into practical opportunities for Nigerian enterprises. She noted that AfCFTA provides access to a market valued at about $3.4 trillion and more than 1.4 billion consumers across Africa.
“AfCFTA is not just an agreement; it is a practical pathway to scale Nigerian businesses across Africa, and we are bringing these opportunities directly to the people,” Oduwole said while addressing participants at the engagement.
According to the minister, ongoing reforms are aimed at improving Nigeria’s competitiveness within the continental market. She highlighted progress made in implementing tariff commitments, ratifying the digital trade protocol, and launching export air cargo corridors from Abuja and Lagos to reduce freight costs and improve access to African markets.
Speaking on behalf of the Governor of Kano, Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Faruq Ibrahim, said the state is positioning itself to leverage AfCFTA opportunities to expand Nigeria’s export capacity. He disclosed that plans are underway to train about 50,000 micro, small and medium enterprises, particularly women and youth, to participate in regional trade.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Chris Osa Isokpunwu, described the engagement as part of efforts to move from policy discussions to real implementation that benefits businesses. He noted that the success of the initiative would ultimately be reflected in increased trade volumes and measurable economic gains.
Also speaking, the Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture, Danjuma Mohammed, stressed the need to build the capacity of local producers to meet export standards, particularly in agriculture. He said improved knowledge of certification, quality control and packaging would enable producers to compete more effectively within the African market.
Further insights were provided by the National Coordinator of Nigeria’s AfCFTA Coordination Office, Patience Okala, who unveiled simplified tools designed to guide businesses through export procedures. Similarly, the Director-General of the Nigeria Office for Trade Negotiations, Sanusi Garba Rikiji, emphasized that the true value of the agreement would be measured by the trade outcomes achieved across the continent.
Development finance institutions, including Afreximbank, also reaffirmed their support for Nigerian businesses through trade finance and industrial development initiatives. The Kano engagement featured technical sessions, export simulations and regulatory clinics as part of a broader nationwide drive to simplify export processes and encourage wider participation, particularly among MSMEs and informal traders.
