Nigeria's absence from the from the first batch of participating countries under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been attributed to failure to meet the minimum requirements for trade under the agreement.
The requirements include submission of a Schedule of Tariff Concessions (STCs) to the AfCFTA Secretariat and approval of the same and gazetting of the STCs or Provisional STCs.
GTI was launched in September 2022 to match-make businesses and products for export and import between interested state parties that have met the minimum requirements for trade under AfCFTA.
In an exclusive chat with Vanguard, the acting Chairman of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria's Export Promotion Group (MANEG), Mrs. Odiri Erewa-Meggison, noted that eight countries namely, Rwanda, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania and Tunisia are already operating on the GTI because they have met the minimum requirements for trade under the agreement.
She said Nigeria is missing out from the first batch of participating countries because it is yet to meet the minimum requirements for the trade agreement.
To this end, MANEG in conjunction with National Action Committee on Africa Continental Free Trade Area (NAC-AfCFTA) Secretariat recently organised a two-day capacity-building training to enhance understanding of MANEG members on the free trade agreement.
Erewa-Meggison stated: "So far, the practical implementation of AfCFTA started since September 2022, with the export of coffee products from Rwanda to Ghana; and export of Exide Battery from Kenya to Ghana, under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) within the eight state parties that have met the minimum requirements for trade under the agreement.
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"The state parties include Rwanda, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania and Tunisia. These countries are already operating on the GTI without Nigeria."
Speaking on why Nigeria has not been involved, Erewa-Meggison said: "Nigeria was not in the first batch of countries to trade under the GTI because the minimum requirements for doing so had not been satisfied when it kicked off.
"These include submission of a Schedule of Tariff Concessions (STCs) to the AfCFTA Secretariat and approval of the same; gazetting of the STCs or Provisional STCs; establishment of Ad hoc or Standing AfCFTA coordination committee in the country; designation of a competent authority to certify originating products; willingness to mobilise and connect businesses with other members of the GTI; and notification of the required Non-Tariff measures (NTMs) required for export and import."
She however noted that the federal government is taking steps to ensure Nigeria's full participation in AfCFTA.
"Nigeria has ticked most of the boxes but it is yet to gazette the STCs. The mobilisation and connection of local businesses with other members of the GTI is ongoing but progress has been slow. "There are some housekeeping issues that should also be sorted with the AfCFTA Secretariat. We believe that all outstanding actions can be completed within a short period if the political will is present and deliberately exercised," she added.
