The meeting between the CGC and the Secretary-General provided a unique opportunity to refine strategies aimed at improving trade facilitation under the AfCFTA agreement.

 Discussions centered on addressing existing bottlenecks and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the agreement, given their critical role in boosting intra-African trade.

 Particular emphasis was placed on the role of Customs in these efforts.
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 In his response, Comptroller-General Adeniyi commended the Secretary-General for his unwavering commitment to advancing the AfCFTA’s goals, despite the resource constraints faced by the Secretariat.

 He also acknowledged the critical support provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the legislative arm through the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

 “The Act has been instrumental in providing the necessary legal framework for implementing initiatives that align with the government’s vision of making Nigeria the most efficient trading nation on the continent, fostering SME growth, and boosting exports to strengthen intra-African trade,” he said.

The high point of the conversation was the recent achievement of Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, CEO of LE LOOK Nigeria Limited, who became the first woman to export goods under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the AfCFTA to East, Central, and North African countries.

 Her success, marked by the export of goods on 16th July 2024 from Apapa Port in Lagos, underscores the growing opportunities for Nigerian businesses in the continental market.

A key outcome of the meeting was the AfCFTA Secretariat’s commitment to develop a concept note outlining the way forward for the free trade area.

 In turn, the NCS pledged to bring these discussions to the Heads of Customs Administrations platform in Africa, ensuring a coordinated approach to addressing customs-related challenges across the continent.

The Biashara Afrika, now in its second edition, has established itself as a formidable platform for engagement between African public and private actors on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA.

 This year’s forum focused on addressing the evolving challenges in the business environment and seeking innovative solutions to facilitate cross-border trade.

“To participate in the zero-duty importation of basic food items, a company must be incorporated in Nigeria and have been operational for at least five years.

“It must have filed annual returns and financial statements and paid taxes and statutory payroll obligations for the past five years.

” Companies importing husked brown rice, grain sorghum, or millet need to own a milling plant with a capacity of at least 100 tons per day, operated for at least four years and have enough farmland for cultivation.

“Those importing maize, wheat, or beans must be agricultural companies with sufficient farmland or feed mills/agro-processing companies with an out-grower network for cultivation”

Farinto said these conditions were not necessary as they would certainly be too cumbersome to meet.

” It should have been left open for those who have interest and capital to participate, a sort of all-comers affair to encourage massive importation of foods to saturate the market and bring the prices down.

“After all, the window is only for six months and after that, you close the window” the ANLCA chieftain declared.

Our reporter further gathered that apart from the stringent conditions attached to the zero duty programme which stakeholders believed have resulted in apathy, the Nigeria Customs Service, three months into the implementation of the duty waivers, said it was still waiting for the Federal Ministry of Finance to provide the agency with the list of importers eligible to participate in the programme.

According to the guidelines, the Federal Ministry of Finance is supposed to provide the Customs with the list of importers qualified to benefit from the duty waiver.

With three months remaining before the duty waiver window is shut, hungry Nigerians are still waiting to benefit from the massive importation of food items expected from the special Presidential duty waiver programme.