Listen to story here
A maritime industry expert, Dr. Segun Alade Musa, has declared that Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) risks remaining symbolic unless backed by clear, measurable and institutionalised policies capable of driving large-scale export growth.
Speaking at a roundtable organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Apapa, Lagos, Musa criticised what he described as the country’s “ceremonial approach” to the continental trade pact, arguing that genuine engagement should be reflected in substantial export volumes rather than publicised token shipments.
“If we were serious under AfCFTA, we should be talking about hundreds of thousands of containers even up to a million. Instead, we are celebrating one or two containers and inviting the media. For a country of this size, that is painful,” he said.
Musa maintained that the core problem is not the absence of declarations or policy pronouncements, but the lack of structured implementation frameworks with predictable outcomes. According to him, effective policies must be holistic and allow stakeholders to plan investments and operations with certainty.
“A policy must be something you can key into and predict results. What we are doing now is a waste of time and resources,” he stated, warning that without defined benchmarks and coordinated reforms, Nigeria could miss the economic gains promised under the continental trade regime.
The Chief Consultant at Global Transport Policy also dismissed expectations that the proposed National Single Window (NSW) would automatically transform cargo clearance processes, arguing that digitisation cannot compensate for weak institutional capacity.
“Single Window is just a shell to house agencies. If the agencies inside it are not competent, equipped and ready, nothing will change. You cannot put the cart before the horse,” Musa said.
He stressed that trade facilitation reforms must begin with performance standards, accountability mechanisms and infrastructure upgrades across government agencies, cautioning that without these foundations, the NSW could amount to “another jamboree.”
Drawing from 36 years of industry experience, Musa further criticised the practice of assigning revenue targets to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) describing it as a distortion of its primary trade facilitation mandate. He posited that celebrating rising Customs revenue signals economic strain rather than progress, since efficient trade systems should prioritise competitiveness and export expansion.
Recalling past automation efforts within Customs that failed to significantly improve clearance timelines, Musa urged authorities to focus on comprehensive, end-to-end system reforms rather than fragmented digital upgrades.
Comparing Nigeria’s export performance with established trading blocs in Europe and Asia, he said serious economies measure success by volume, efficiency and competitiveness, not symbolic participation.
