Is Nigeria Turning AfCFTA Digital Trade Commitments into Practice?
Nigeria launched the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade (ADAPT) Country Implementation Forum in Abuja on July 29 to speed up implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. National Coordinator Mrs. Patience Okala called it a major milestone and said it will simplify trade paperwork, build trusted digital identities, improve cross-border payments, cut business costs and help small and medium-sized enterprises reach more markets. The coordination office stressed that its success depends on trade, customs, payments, digital identity, data protection, ICT, logistics, standards bodies, and the private sector working together.
By August 7, Nigeria had moved into the implementation, or “action”, phase. On September 30, Trade Minister Dr. Jumoke Oduwole said Nigeria is a Co-Champion of the Protocol, the first country to ratify it, and one of three ADAPT pilot countries, alongside Kenya and Morocco. The pilot will let countries share digital identities and payment systems so that cross-border trade becomes faster, safer and cheaper. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene added his praise on August 6, saying the Nigeria Customs Service’s homegrown digital tools could transform customs work across Africa.
The National Single Window offers an early test. Between March 27 and August 17, 2026, it processed 114,122 trade documents and moved ₦11.27 billion in payments, with 10,818 importers and clearing agents registered. Uptake is uneven: 24 of 27 airlines use it for air cargo, but only 23 of 88 shipping companies have joined. A system that works in air trade has yet to prove itself in sea trade.
The legal footing matters too. On July 27, the House Commerce Committee held a hearing on 13 commerce bills, including the AfCFTA Domestication Bill, which Dr. Oduwole called timely and necessary because full use of the AfCFTA requires a clear Nigerian legal framework. Further afield, the AfCFTA Secretariat, Seychelles and Quest Ghana Limited are building a $5.17 billion digital trade corridor, with a shared marketplace, cross-border payment system, logistics tools and a commodities exchange, aiming to unlock up to $500 billion of intra-African trade.