The newly-appointed Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment; Jumoke Oduwole, has assured operators that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) would be utilised optimally to benefit Nigeria.
She disclosed this after assuming duties on Monday, shortly after taking the oath of office administered by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
This came as international businesses comprising exhibitors at the Lagos International Trade Fair 2024 complained that Nigeria was facing challenges in actualising the AfCFTA, stressing that border inefficiencies had continued to hinder cross-border trade.
In her address on Monday, Oduwole emphasised the need to reverse Nigeria’s trade policies to create competitive jobs for the nation’s youth.
“The time has come for Nigeria to reverse her trade policies to create competitive jobs for our teeming youths,” she stated.
A statement by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Adebayo Thomas, further quoted the minister as saying, “expectations are high for change, and as a human collaborator, I will ensure that such expectations are met in this sector.
“What gets measured is what gets done. We will systematically ensure periodic performance appraisals to ensure that targets are met. We will also ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement would be utilised optimally to benefit Nigeria.”
The AfCFTA is a free trade area that has 43 parties and another 11 signatories, making it the largest free-trade area by number of member states, after the World Trade Organisation, and the largest in population and geographic size.
