The Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, with the support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convened a two-day validation workshop in Lagos, Nigeria, from December 10–11, 2024. The workshop aimed at advancing the participation and competitiveness of women and youth in trade under the AfCFTA.
The AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth recommends a broad framework of intervention areas by State Parties to ensure that trade works for all. These include removing cumbersome and costly regulatory compliance requirements, addressing the drivers of informal cross-border trade, deepening official export development support, improving access to finance and information for excluded groups, and leveraging opportunities offered through digital trade adoption.
The validation workshop brought together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to discuss research findings and recommended tools, platforms, and strategies for formalizing the participation of SMEs in key value chains. Professors Abiodun Folawewo and Abiodun Adewuyi, who led the team of consultants engaged on the project, presented a report analyzing the top 10 export products shipped by women and youth, as well as prototype market access guides and e-commerce platforms to stakeholders.
Mr. Femi Egbesola, Chairman of ASBON, steered participants as they deliberated on the study findings, the utility of the tools designed, and the need to deepen trade facilitation under the AfCFTA. He specifically emphasized streamlining export documentation, harmonizing certification requirements, and digitizing forms and processes to reduce compliance time and costs.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ngone Diop, Director of UNECA’s West Africa Regional Office, described Nigeria as a powerhouse in West Africa with all it takes to drive successful AfCFTA implementation. She emphasized that women and youth, who form the backbone of the Nigerian economy, must be empowered to benefit fully from the trading framework.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Ogoegbunam Chukwurah, Export Market Development Lead at the Coordination Office, assured participants that the Coordination Office and its partners will continue to support businesses in growing and competing to take full advantage of trading opportunities under the AfCFTA.
