Nigeria’s commercial engagement with other African nations strengthened sharply in the first half of the year, with intra-African trade rising 14% amid a renewed government push to overhaul border processes and deepen regional connectivity.
The data, released on Monday by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, offers one of the clearest signs yet that Nigeria is beginning to benefit from a more integrated continental market.
Adeniyi told participants at a trade conference in Abuja that trade with African partners jumped by 600 billion naira (about $415 million) to 4.82 trillion naira between January and June. He described the growth as a firm signal that Nigeria’s regional trade reforms are gaining traction.
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“This is a clear signal of strengthening regional trade momentum,” he said.
Nigeria’s exports to member states within the Economic Community of West African States saw a marked increase as well, which he said highlighted the country’s rising importance as a hub for continental trade and emerging value chains.
The gains coincide with government efforts to remove long-standing trade barriers. Authorities have been digitizing customs procedures, reducing clearance times, and improving transport links with neighboring countries, all aimed at easing the movement of goods across borders. Weak road networks, bureaucratic delays, and a lack of harmonized documentation have historically been some of the biggest obstacles to intra-African trade.
Nigeria’s reforms are part of a broader strategy to position the country advantageously under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the landmark agreement that aims to create a unified market of more than 1.3 billion people.
Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Jumoke Oduwole said Nigeria has taken “concrete” steps to implement its AfCFTA commitments. Among the measures is a set of new tariff concessions designed to expand market access for Nigerian exporters. She also highlighted the launch of a dedicated air-cargo corridor to East Africa, which has already cut export costs by about 75%.
According to her, the corridor is helping exporters — especially those dealing in perishables — reach distant African markets faster and more competitively.
The surge in regional trade has generated fresh optimism among analysts who have long argued that AfCFTA could significantly boost Africa’s economic fortunes if fully executed. The recent uptick in commerce, they say, demonstrates the scale of potential gains once member states harmonize regulations, improve logistics, and expand cross-border infrastructure.
Analysts have pointed out that Africa currently trades more with Europe and Asia than with itself, largely because of tariff and non-tariff barriers, fragmented markets, and poor connectivity. Nigeria’s improvement, driven by early compliance with AfCFTA-aligned reforms, is seen as proof that removing these barriers could unlock substantial growth for businesses and governments across the continent.
Some trade experts noted that if more African countries adopt Nigeria’s approach — especially in simplifying customs procedures and reducing transport bottlenecks — the continent could see a dramatic rise in manufacturing competitiveness, agricultural exports, and value-added processing.
For Nigeria, the gains come at a crucial moment. The country has faced persistent economic challenges, including high inflation, forex volatility, and reduced oil earnings. Stronger regional trade, analysts say, could offer a new path toward diversification, helping local industries plug into regional supply chains.
The next test will be whether Nigeria can maintain the trajectory — and whether other African states can match its pace of reforms. But for now, officials and analysts agree that the latest figures are a promising indicator that AfCFTA’s long-anticipated economic benefits may be within reach once implementation deepens continent-wide.