The Federal Government has launched a sensitisation programme aimed at helping businesses in the North-East tap into trade opportunities under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The initiative, implemented through the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), began in Bauchi with a workshop that brought together business owners, entrepreneurs and chambers of commerce from across the region.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, said the programme was designed to bring the benefits of Nigeria’s foreign policy closer to citizens, particularly businesses and entrepreneurs at the grassroots.
Speaking at the workshop, themed “Increasing Intra-Regional Trade through ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS),” Enikanolaiye said the initiative would educate Nigerian businesses on opportunities available within ECOWAS and the AfCFTA.
He said the programme was part of the Federal Government’s 4D foreign policy agenda, which places Nigerians at the centre of the country’s foreign relations.
According to him, the sensitisation exercise will be taken to all six geopolitical zones, beginning with the North-East, with emphasis on increasing production, adding value to local products and creating jobs, especially for young Nigerians.
The minister also said reforms under the President Bola Tinubu administration had brought greater economic stability, while inflation was gradually declining. He added that Nigeria’s foreign reserves were approaching $40 billion.
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by his Deputy Governor, Auwal Jatau, pledged the state government’s support for the ETLS programme.
The governor said Bauchi was ready to use the scheme to promote economic diversification and private-sector development, stressing that government alone could not create sustainable prosperity.
He said the private sector needed support to produce, invest and innovate, while creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities.
Mohammed also commended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for bringing the sensitisation programme to the North-East, saying it would strengthen trade links among producers, processors, traders, transport operators and business associations.
However, the President of the Bauchi State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mining and Agriculture (BASCIMA), Aminu Mohammed Danmaliki, said businesses still faced major obstacles in accessing regional trade opportunities.
He identified border delays, multiple checkpoints, unofficial charges, conflicting customs interpretations and difficulties with trade documentation among the challenges confronting businesses.
Danmaliki said many small and medium-sized enterprises were not even aware that the ETLS existed or did not know how to benefit from it.
He called for the ETLS process to be simplified and fully digitalised, with a single platform where businesses could apply, track applications and verify certificates.
He also urged ECOWAS to establish a rapid-response system for businesses to report the unlawful detention of approved goods and called for adequate funding for the scheme.
Danmaliki further recommended a permanent North-East ETLS Help Desk through chambers of commerce across the six states to guide businesses seeking to access the scheme.
The initiative is expected to deepen awareness of ECOWAS and AfCFTA opportunities, strengthen regional trade and help North-East businesses overcome some of the barriers limiting their access to wider African markets.
