President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The launch ceremony, held at the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, saw the first shipment of Nigerian exports destined for five African countries.
Represented by Secretary to the Federal Government Senator George Akume, President Tinubu emphasised the importance of AfCFTA in building Africa’s industrialisation and prosperity. “Today, we embark on a journey that will ignite the flame of opportunity, foster economic ties, and pave the way for progress and shared prosperity for our great nation and the entire African continent,” he said.
National Coordinator of Nigeria’s AfCFTA Office Olusegun Awolowo reiterated that trade is the only sustainable path to prosperity.
He confirmed that Nigeria has fulfilled all requirements for the Guided Trade Initiative and symbolically flagged off trade under the preferential trading arrangement with the shipment of containers from Apapa ports.
The initial exports, bound for Cameroon, Kenya, Algeria, Uganda, and Egypt, include various products such as bags, ceramics, textiles, cables, smart cards, clinkers, black soap, native starch, and shea butter.
Awolowo noted that this launch marks a transition from planning to actively enabling businesses to trade and succeed under AfCFTA, signalling a new era of trade and prosperity for Nigeria.
The journey to this milestone involved extensive stakeholder engagements and collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop a vision and framework for Nigeria’s participation in AfCFTA, ensuring the success of businesses trading under the agreement.
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