AU names Nigeria AfCFTA digital trade champion

The African Union (AU) has officially named Nigeria as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) digital trade champion.

In a statement on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, said the endorsement follows the federal government’s impressive record in promoting digital trade.

Onanuga said the AU assembly of heads of state and government acknowledged Nigeria’s role in fostering digital enterprise and innovation during its 38th ordinary session, which concluded on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He added that the assembly recognised Nigeria’s contributions to advancing the digital trade protocol, which was adopted in February 2024.

Onanuga explained that the protocol includes an agenda to develop eight annexes covering key areas such as rules of origin, digital identities, cross-border data transfers, legitimate and legal public interest reasons for disclosing source code, online safety and security, emerging and advanced technologies, and financial technology.

Mahamadou Issoufou, former president of Niger Republic and AU AfCFTA champion, presented his annual report on the AfCFTA’s digital trade protocol at the assembly.

Issoufou praised Nigeria’s leadership for hosting the Digital Economy Roundtable in January, emphasising that the gathering played a crucial role in advancing the digital trade agenda.

”No organisation, region, or continent has negotiated or adopted such a comprehensive legal instrument on digital trade, positioning the African continent to benefit from the digital economy for innovation and job creation,” Issoufou said.

He also highlighted that young Africans are leading in digital innovation, particularly in mobile banking and other digitally enabled services.

”The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade will establish a conducive environment for these young people to fully participate in Africa’s digital economy,” the former president added.

‘AFRICA HAS DEMONSTRATED GLOBAL LEADERSHIP WITH AFCFTA’S DIGITAL TRADE PROTOCOL’

Jumoke Oduwole, minister of industry, trade and investment, said Africa has demonstrated global leadership by pioneering the first-of-its-kind AfCFTA protocol on digital trade, which establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework.

“The Assembly of Heads of State and Government has officially designated Nigeria as AfCFTA Digital Trade Champion,” Oduwole said.

“The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol is a game changer in advancing Africa’s economic development.”

She explained that the protocol will create millions of jobs for Africa’s growing, tech-savvy youth, contribute billions to the continent’s GDP, and attract substantial investments for public digital infrastructure across African nations.

On January 22, Vice-President Kashim Shettima joined other world leaders to push for the full implementation of the AfCFTA agreement, with a target to boost the continent’s economy to $29 trillion by 2050.

Shettima also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the AfCFTA as a vehicle for shared prosperity.