• Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
The National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office (NACO), Mrs Patience Okala, said that Nigeria has reduced the processing time for Certificates of Origin from more than five days to 24 hours.
She disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the 2026 Third Quarter meeting of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Central Coordination Committee (CCC).
According to her, Nigeria has also resolved eight reported cases of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) affecting businesses trading under the African single market agreement.
Okala said the reduction in the processing time for Certificates of Origin had been achieved through the digitisation and automation of the process, covering registration, verification and certification by the Nigeria Customs Service.
“The development would make it easier and faster for Nigerian businesses to access preferential treatment under the continental trade agreement,” she said.
