Nigeria Reduces AfCFTA Certificate Processing to 24 Hours

On September 9, Nigeria announced a significant reduction in the processing time for Certificates of Origin under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from more than five days to just 24 hours. This change aims to facilitate local businesses in accessing preferential trade opportunities across Africa.

Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office (NACO), made this announcement during the third-quarter meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee in Abuja. The improvement is attributed to the digitization and automation of the Certificate of Origin process, which includes registration, verification, and certification by the Nigeria Customs Service.

Okala emphasized that this reduction would enable Nigerian businesses to access AfCFTA trade preferences more swiftly and mitigate administrative delays that could hinder their competitiveness in African markets. Additionally, she mentioned that eight cases of non-tariff barriers had been resolved since the last meeting, and five Nigerian businesses have applied for funding under the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund.