The Federal Government says it is stepping up efforts to promote freer movement across Africa as part of measures to boost trade, investment and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja while speaking on the outcome of the recent Biashara Afrika 2026 Forum in Togo.
Oduwole said trade could not flourish where entrepreneurs and investors faced restrictions on movement, stressing that easier mobility for people, goods and investments was essential to unlocking opportunities under the AfCFTA.
She said the government remained committed to removing barriers that hinder trade and business mobility across African markets.
According to her, mobility is central to the success of the AfCFTA, noting that Nigeria joined other African countries in reaffirming its commitment to the free movement of people, services and investments.
The minister said visa policies remained the responsibility of individual countries but noted growing support across the continent for business-friendly travel.
She commended the Togolese government for committing to remove visa requirements for African travellers, describing the decision as consistent with the AfCFTA’s objective of strengthening regional integration and expanding intra-African trade.
Oduwole also praised Rwanda’s visa policy, saying it had improved business travel, tourism and regional investment.
She said Nigeria continued to engage through the AfCFTA Secretariat, the African Union and bilateral channels to promote simplified visa procedures, with discussions focusing on visa-on-arrival arrangements and mutual recognition of business travel documentation.
According to her, several African countries have already introduced reforms to ease market access for Nigerian business travellers.
The minister added that Nigeria was addressing trade barriers through the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol and improved customs cooperation.
She said digital trade facilitation, improved transport connectivity and better logistics would help reduce the cost of doing business across African borders.
While noting that Nigeria could not determine implementation timelines for other countries, Oduwole expressed optimism that progress would continue as AfCFTA implementation advanced.
She said freer movement would create more opportunities for trade, investment, job creation and economic growth across the continent.
On the economic benefits, the minister said easier travel would enable businesses to access new markets, attract investment and expand exports, particularly benefiting small and medium-sized enterprises, women-led businesses and non-oil exporters.
She noted that Nigeria had inaugurated the Nigeria-Uganda Air Cargo Corridor with Uganda Airlines to improve exports to East Africa, saying the initiative had reduced cargo costs and improved market access for exporters.
Oduwole added that the government was working on similar trade facilitation partnerships with RwandAir to strengthen regional connectivity and lower logistics costs.
She identified non-tariff barriers, fragmented regulations, high logistics costs, cross-border payment challenges, business mobility restrictions and regulatory uncertainty for digital firms as key obstacles to intra-African trade.
The minister also said Nigeria had gazetted its Provisional Schedule of Tariff Concessions to accelerate AfCFTA implementation, established dedicated air cargo corridors that reduced freight costs by between 50 and 75 per cent, and was implementing the National Single Window to simplify domestic trade processes.
She added that the government had mapped more than 200 digital service firms across 17 sectors as part of efforts to strengthen regional digital trade, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to reducing trade costs, improving market access and ensuring businesses fully benefit from AfCFTA preferences.
