Following a three-day sub-national strategic workshop on AfCFTA implementation in Abuja, stakeholders underscored the need for states in Nigeria to develop a robust framework for identifying and facilitating the growth that would bring about the structural transformation which is a necessary condition for sustained growth that would provide Nigeria with the necessary filip to participate aggressively in the AfCFTA market.

Stakeholders said their position is underscored by the fact that states have an important role to play in facilitating growth in industries that are consistent with Nigeria’s latent comparative advantage.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the event, the secretary of the AfCFTA National Action Committee, Mr. Francis Anatogu, reaffirmed that at the subnational level, states must necessarily pay attention to the model A local government , a product (OLOP) that emphasizes that the local government regions of the states have focused on the production of those products in which they have a comparative and competitive advantage.

Anatogu, said the highly successful meeting has helped various states better understand the AfCFTA and how they can chart a defined path at the subnational level to help the country take its prominent place in the market.

Anatogu assured that the National Action Committee on the AfCFTA will continue to work with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to mobilize states to ensure that Nigeria is a force to fight with in the AfCFTA.

For the Director General of Investment Promotion of the State of Niger, Fatima Wushishi, the Center-North region would focus efforts on rice production throughout its value chain.

She advised states to see themselves as ongoing partners and work together to make AfCFTA implementation a huge success in the country.

Wushishi therefore called for the provision of quality infrastructure and the institutionalization of standards to drive the implementation of the AfCFTA.

Also speaking, Delta Export Initiative Coordinator Ms. Shimite Bello explained that Delta State has decided to focus its energy on the production of palm oil, cassava, aquaculture, fashion, art and crafts where they have a predominant advantage.

Bello, who spoke on behalf of the south-south region, said there had been deliberate efforts by the region to provide not only infrastructure but also an enabling environment that would help the successful take off of the region. implementation of the AfCFTA.

Mr. Olufemi Ajayi, Ekiti State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, for his part said the southwest region will review the country’s trade policies and legal framework for the region to fully participate in the AfCFTA.

Specifically, Ayayi urged the government to streamline the mandates of regulatory institutions such as the National Food, Administration and Drug Control Agency (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to avoid duplication of functions.

He revealed that the region has formed a technical working group that will soon come up with a workable implementation plan for the region.