Nigeria yet to begin AfCFTA trade — Official

Nigeria has not started trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement because the country is still producing guidelines on how to export under the new trade pact, said an official. The acting Chief Trade Negotiator and Director General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN), Mr. Victor Liman who disclosed this […]

Nigeria has not started trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement because the country is still producing guidelines on how to export under the new trade pact, said an official.

The acting Chief Trade Negotiator and Director General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN), Mr. Victor Liman who disclosed this in an interview in Abuja, said his office was domesticating the AfCFTA trading documents, which must be made to suit local needs.

He said the office was also creating rules of origin of goods to be allowed into Nigeria while addressing the legal issues, and export guidelines.

Liman also said the National Assembly has to enact a law to operationalise the AfCFTA to localise the treaty and give it a legal backing.

“If we don’t do that, if we start implementation before the enactment of that law, then it becomes illegal. And after having enacted the law, you have to gazette it for people to see,” he said.

He also clarified that the recent ratification of the pact by the Nigerian government gave it legal backing, but it must be domesticated.

He said Section 12, subsection 1 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria mandates that such a treaty must be domesticated.