The Federal Government has begun restructuring Nigeria’s trade negotiation system to strengthen the country’s position in bilateral, regional, continental and global trade talks and better protect its economic interests.
The reform will replace the Enlarged National Focal Point (ENFP) on Trade Matters with a new Nigeria Trade Negotiation Architecture (NTNA), designed to improve coordination, evidence-based decision-making and accountability in the country’s trade negotiations.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, announced the reform on Wednesday in Abuja at a stakeholder engagement on Nigeria’s Trade and Investment Negotiation Architecture.
According to a statement by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Obilor-Duru Augustina Okechi, the minister said the new framework was intended to ensure that Nigeria approaches trade negotiations with clear objectives, credible evidence, coordinated institutions and a focus on national economic interests.
Oduwole said trade policy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda must support industrial development, expand non-oil exports, improve competitiveness and create jobs.
Under the proposed architecture, the Trade Department and the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN) will serve as co-technical leads, while a designated secretariat will coordinate the negotiation portfolio, maintain records and produce action reports.
The new system will also introduce monthly reporting, quarterly stakeholder engagements and designated focal officers from participating institutions to improve coordination, institutional continuity and accountability.
Oduwole said an effective negotiation system must go beyond institutional structures and be built around rigorous preparation, reliable data and meaningful consultation.
She called on the private sector, labour, academia, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and other stakeholders to provide concrete information on market opportunities, trade barriers, competitive advantages and potential vulnerabilities.
Such information, she said, would help government negotiators develop positions that reflect Nigeria’s economic realities and priorities.
The minister also announced plans to strengthen the Commercial Officer cadre to provide market intelligence, trade-policy analysis and support for Nigerian businesses operating in international markets.
She clarified that investment negotiations under the International Investment Agreement Negotiation Team would remain a separate track, while stressing that the broader reform was aimed at creating a coordinated, evidence-led, commercially informed and accountable system.
The restructuring is intended to position Nigerian businesses to compete more effectively in regional and international markets while protecting the country’s interests during negotiations.
From ENFP to NTNA
The Enlarged National Focal Point was established in 2001 as a national consultation mechanism within the then Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry to coordinate Nigeria’s trade-related engagements, particularly those involving the World Trade Organization.
It brought together government agencies, private-sector organisations, academia, professional bodies and other stakeholders to provide technical advice, facilitate consultations, harmonise negotiating positions and support bilateral, regional, continental and multilateral trade engagements.
The government said the mechanism faced challenges over the years, including a large and dispersed membership, irregular meetings, changes in institutional representation, weak follow-up and record-keeping, and overlaps with other trade-related institutions.
The new architecture is designed to retain the inclusive character of the former ENFP while introducing clearer technical leadership, reporting lines, institutional responsibilities and accountability.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Director of Trade will chair the architecture, while relevant departments will provide technical leadership. The designated secretariat will maintain the negotiation portfolio, institutional records and action reports.
The Commercial Officer function will also be strengthened to support policy analysis, negotiation preparation, stakeholder coordination, reporting and institutional knowledge management.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Chris Osa Isokpunwu, represented by the Head of Special Duties Department, Simon Omo-Ezomo, said the framework would comprise the National Trade Coordination Platform and the National International Investment Agreement Negotiation Team, supported by a designated secretariat.
He said the stakeholder engagement was intended to determine how the proposed mechanism would operate, including its membership, responsibilities, terms of reference and the status of ongoing negotiations.
Each participating institution is expected to nominate two focal officers to improve continuity, information exchange and the quality and timeliness of Nigeria’s trade negotiations.
The Trade Negotiation Department will document the deliberations and develop an action matrix assigning responsibilities and timelines.
AfCFTA tariff talks advance
The engagement also reviewed progress on Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mrs Patience Okala, said negotiations on AfCFTA tariff categories B and C had reached an advanced stage, with the ECOWAS Commission proceeding with the transmission of the agreed lists to the AfCFTA authorities.
She said the ECOWAS Commission had been mandated to finalise the draft ECOWAS Common Schedule of Tariff Concessions, incorporating the 73 tariff lines agreed by the Ministerial Committee on Tariff Concessions comprising Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria and the ECOWAS Commission.
Under the AfCFTA tariff framework, Category A covers 90 per cent of tariff lines, while Category B covers sensitive products and Category C covers products on the exclusion list.
Okala said that while Category A was required during the early phase of AfCFTA implementation, the process now requires the full complement of Categories A, B and C.
She said the ECOWAS Commission had finalised the Category B and C lists following a directive from the ECOWAS Ministers of Trade and Industry and in line with decisions of the 18th AfCFTA Council of Ministers.
The development, she said, represented an important step towards completing the tariff concession process and advancing AfCFTA implementation.
The Federal Government said the broader reform would strengthen the institutional framework through which Nigeria develops, coordinates and advances its trade negotiating positions as the country expands its participation in regional and global markets.
