FG, WCO to Train Three million Exporters on AfCFTA Rules

The Federal Government, in preparation to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, has partnered with the World Customs Organization (WCO) through the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office to train no fewer than three million Nigerian businesses on understanding and applying the rules governing the export of goods under the intra-African trade agreement.

This was disclosed recently in Abuja by the National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, during the AfCFTA Rules of Origin Workshop for the Organized Private Sectors of Nigeria (OPSN), SMEs and critical stakeholders.

The three days workshop was organized by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office in partnership with the EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme and facilitated by the Nigeria Customs Service, the country’s Designated Competent Authority (DCA).

Represented by Olusegun Olutayo, the Technical Director of the project and a Senior Trade Expert and Lead at the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Awolowo stated that the capacity-building initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in human capital development, trade expansion, and inclusive growth under the AfCFTA.

He emphasized that the Rules of Origin are among the most critical instruments and a major pillar for qualifying goods for preferential access across the continent, stressing the need for business owners to fully understand and apply these rules to participate effectively in the new continental trade regime.

“This workshop is not an isolated initiative. It is part of a broader series of engagements that the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office is rolling out nationwide to demystify AfCFTA instruments for our stakeholders,” Awolowo said.

He urged participants to master the product-specific rules to ensure compliance and market access, adding, “Upon your return to your respective organizations, organize in-house briefings or peer-learning sessions so that the insights gained here cascade throughout your value chains.”

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, represented by Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs (DCG) for Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, stated that Nigeria is ready to gain maximum benefits from the AfCFTA agreement and support determined exporters in expanding trade.

She highlighted the NCS’s improved ICT infrastructure and the establishment of an export command as key efforts to streamline the processing and facilitation of goods for export under the AfCFTA.

In her remarks, Faith Mathenge, the WCO Representative, informed participants that the EU-WCO Origin for Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, was launched in July 2022 to support Customs administrations, government agencies, regional economic communities, and the private sector in implementing and applying Rules of Origin, with a focus on the AfCFTA.

“The Programme, in collaboration with the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, has a clear goal of building cross-sectoral capacity in Rules of Origin to propel Nigeria into the next level of trade, including intra-African trade, trade with Europe, and trade with the rest of the world,” she said.

She added, “I wish to reiterate the EU-WCO Origin for Africa Programme’s commitment to supporting the NCS and its stakeholders’ capacity-building needs, including any required technical assistance.”

SIGNED:

Olusegun Olutayo

Project Technical Director and Senior Trade Expert

Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office