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The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), has partnered with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat to strengthen Nigeria’s legislative capacity for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).
The collaboration culminated in a three-day capacity-building programme held from March 3 to 5, 2026, in Abuja. The workshop brought together about 150 participants, including senators, members of the House of Representatives, parliamentary clerks, legislative drafters, and legislative support staff.
The programme focused on enhancing the Nigerian Parliament’s legislative, oversight, and policy-support roles in the national implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and its associated protocols. Since becoming operational in January 2021, the AfCFTA has been widely regarded as one of Africa’s most ambitious initiatives for economic integration, with potential to drive trade expansion, industrialisation, job creation, and inclusive economic growth across the continent.
Opening the programme, Abubakar O. Sulaiman, Director-General of NILDS, highlighted the need to equip lawmakers and parliamentary staff with the technical expertise required to translate AfCFTA commitments into effective national legislation and oversight mechanisms.
He also emphasised NILDS’ role as a permanent institutional platform supporting sustained parliamentary engagement on AfCFTA implementation.
Delivering the keynote address, Melaku Desta, representing the ECA, described the AfCFTA as a transformative framework for Africa’s economic integration. He noted that the success of the agreement depends largely on effective domestication, institutional readiness, and coordinated collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government at the national level.
Goodwill messages were delivered by senior parliamentary leaders, including Godswill Obot Akpabio, President of the Nigerian Senate, and Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both leaders reaffirmed the legislature’s critical role in aligning national laws with continental commitments and ensuring robust oversight of AfCFTA implementation.
During the three-day programme, participants engaged in plenary sessions covering key themes related to AfCFTA implementation. These included the scope of the agreement and Nigeria’s role in continental integration, ratification and domestication of AfCFTA protocols, and the implications of the agreement for national economies and the emerging continental single market.
Other discussions focused on lessons from the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative, intellectual property protection under the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights, the responsibilities of parliamentary clerks and legislative drafters in domestication processes, executive–legislature coordination, and cross-border digital payments under the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol.
Participants also highlighted ongoing challenges, including capacity gaps, the need for policy coherence, and stronger institutional collaboration between the executive and legislative branches to ensure effective implementation of the agreement.
At the conclusion of the programme, participants adopted a Call to Action Resolution recommending accelerated ratification of outstanding AfCFTA protocols and the establishment of structured dialogue between the executive and legislature to support the domestication of the agreement.
The resolution also called for stronger institutional and budgetary support for key implementing agencies such as NILDS, deeper stakeholder engagement with the private sector, women, youth, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as enhanced parliamentary oversight of AfCFTA implementation.
Participants commended the AfCFTA Secretariat for its technical contributions and ongoing engagement throughout the programme, noting that its input helped strengthen understanding of the agreement’s legal framework and implementation requirements.
The workshop forms part of the ECA’s broader efforts to support African member states in translating AfCFTA commitments into concrete national outcomes while strengthening parliamentary institutions as a cornerstone of inclusive and rules-based continental integration.
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