By joshua NIGERIA URGES AFRICA TO PUT TRADE AT CENTRE OF DIPLOMACY AT INAUGURAL AFRICA-ALAMEIN FORUM
Nigeria has called on African nations to place trade and economic cooperation at the centre of Pan-African diplomacy, saying partnerships will only endure when anchored on shared economic interests.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, made the call on Friday, 2nd October, 2026, at the Ministerial Roundtable on “Trade and Economic Cooperation at the Centre of Pan-African Diplomacy” at the inaugural Africa-Alamein Business Forum (Go63) in New Alamein City, Egypt.
“For too long, we treated trade and diplomacy as separate tracks. Our partnerships endure only when they rest on shared economic interests,” he said, noting that Africa remains the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy.
Enikanolaiye cited Nigeria’s reforms since 2023 — fuel subsidy removal, FX unification and fiscal strengthening — yielding 4.43% growth in Q2 2026, inflation down to 15.39% in August, reserves at $54.86bn as of 24th September, and MPR cut to 23%. He added that the National Single Window went live on 27th March 2026 and the Nigeria Tax Act consolidating over 60 levies took effect on 1st January 2026.
On AfCFTA, he described it as Africa’s most important trade instrument, with 50 ratifications and 39 countries now on the Guided Trade Initiative. Nigeria has validated its Implementation Strategy, gazetted its tariff concessions, submitted services commitments and ratified the Digital Trade Protocol in November 2025. A new air cargo corridor with Uganda Airlines and UNDP has cut freight costs by 50-75%.
He stressed that trade needs finance, welcoming Afreximbank and PAPSS, and disclosed that CBN directed banks to adopt PAPSS from April 2025 for local-currency settlement.
The Minister proposed five actions: make trade facilitation a standing diplomatic item; tackle non-tariff barriers; widen trade finance for SMEs, women and youth; invest in transport/energy corridors and regional value chains; and speak with one voice in external trade negotiations.
On Nigeria-Egypt ties, he said trade at $223m in 2025 is below potential and called for implementation of the July 2025 Nigeria-Egypt Business Forum and the proposed Joint Investment Council.
Earlier, Egyptian Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly opened the Forum, describing it as a sustainable platform for dialogue among governments, private sector and financial institutions. Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, H.E. Mohamed Farid, also called for cooperation to build an integrated African automotive industry.
The Go63 Forum, organized by Egypt, Afreximbank and AUDA-NEPAD, runs till 4th October and is a permanent biennial platform to convert integration goals into investments.
New Alamein, Egypt
2nd October, 2026
Signed:
Richard Elesho
SA Media and Strategic Communications
Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs