Nigeria has made meaningful progress on AfCFTA participation by signing and ratifying the Agreement, gazetting tariff concessions, and commencing limited activity under the Guided Trade Initiative.

These are important milestones, but they do not amount to full implementation readiness. AfCFTA is becoming a competitiveness test, no longer just a diplomatic or legal undertaking.

The countries that benefit most will be those that build the domestic systems required to use the agreement effectively, not just those that merely joined. While Nigeria has advanced on participation, it now needs to close the gap on execution. Nigeria’s scale, manufacturing potential, financial sector depth, and regional market relevance should make it a principal beneficiary, but these strengths will not automatically translate into a lasting advantage.

Value will accrue to countries that align law, institutions, customs systems, regulators, infrastructure, and firm-level readiness around a coherent implementation model. In Nigeria, this system remains incomplete due to a recurring pattern of high-level commitment coupled with weak conversion into operational capability across the state.