Expert confident entrepreneurs will gain more visibility under AfCFTA

AN expert in economic development in Africa, Mamudou Sebego has stated that Women and youth entrepreneurs in Nigeria will gained more access to African markets following the final validation of the Market Access Guide and E-Commerce Platform.

Sebego, an Economist with the United Nations Economic Development for Africa said recently in Lagos at the Nigeria African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Validation Workshop that entrepreneurs would gain visibility under the AfCFTA initiative.

“This event marks the third consultative engagement between the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, with support from the UN-ECA and Nigerian businesses, focusing on  enhancing the competitiveness of women and youths in cross-border trade.

“The platform and guide aim to provide information on market requirements for specific products identified as priority in a previous study, enable visibility for products, and connect vendors with buyers across the continent.

“At the long run, It is expected to address longstanding challenges such as logistical bottlenecks and difficulties with export documentation, which many small business owners have faced,” he said.

According to him, the platform is designed to serve three key purposes: giving visibility to products, facilitating vendor-buyer matchmaking.and enabling cross-border transactions.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government agencies to ensure AfCFTA implementation.

”Registration, product verification, and customs documentation remain under the purview of various institutions such as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

“The e-commerce platform will not override regulatory processes but will integrate them over time.”

“The goal is to simplify and eventually connect these processes online, but regulatory bodies will still play their role,”he said.

A representative of Nigeria AfCFTA Coordinating Office, Franca Achimugu, expressed the country’s readiness to implement the AfCFTA.

“Nigeria has taken a significant step forward by participating in the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), a pilot phase of the AfCFTA aimed at testing trade processes among willing and ready state parties.

“So, GTI allows countries that are ready to start trading to begin to trade within themselves, which allows them test their processes.

“Nigeria joined the GTI in June 2024 and successfully made its first shipment to Kenya in September, which arrived at its destination in December 2024,” she said.

Achimugu said that while the pilot shipment was successful, a few issues need to be addressed. However, Nigeria is almost good and ready to go.

She explained that the ultimate goal was to enhance the competitiveness of women and youth in the AfCFTA, noting that information was more important than money.

“This work is showing us where the opportunities are across Africa and what the requirements are for each market,” she  said.

The event was attended by representatives of government, stakeholders, entrepreneurs and partners.

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