The Chairman and Managing Director of Widescope Logistics International, Dr Segun Musa, has said that without concrete benchmarks, coordinated institutional reforms and export-driven strategies, Nigeria may struggle to maximise opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He called for actionable policies, institutional competence and measurable targets to ensure that the continental trade agreement translates into tangible economic gains for the country rather than a wasteful exercise.
Musa on Wednesday declared that AfCFTA would not deliver meaningful impact for Nigeria without clearly defined, holistic and measurable policies to drive its implementation.
At a roundtable discussion organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), he explained that Nigeria’s participation in the continental trade scheme was a mere ceremony, noting that genuine participation under AfCFTA should reflect in export volumes and measurable benchmarks rather than media showcases of minimal shipments.
Musa added: “If we were serious under this scheme, we should be talking about exporting 200,000 to 300,000 containers by now; even up to a million. Instead, we are celebrating one or two containers and gathering media houses to showcase them. Is that participation? It is painful for a country of this size.”
He argued that the policy frameworks must be predictive and structured in a way that allows stakeholders to key into them with certainty of outcomes.
He said: “A policy must be holistic. You should be able to key into it and predict what will happen. That is the essence of policy. What we are doing now is a waste of time and resources.”
Musa maintained that the challenge was not the absence of declarations but the lack of institutional readiness and structured participation.
Also, he noted that the proposed National Single Window (NSW), which government officials had projected as a major reform in trade facilitation, questioned its capacity to deliver change without first addressing systemic inefficiencies within government agencies.
He noted: “What change will the single window bring? Nothing will change if the agencies inside that system are not competent and ready. You cannot pull the cart before the horse. Digitisation alone cannot resolve deep-rooted operational weaknesses, stressing that without performance standards and accountability mechanisms, the Single Window could amount to just another jamboree.
“You must ensure the agents are ready before you start talking about digitisation. Otherwise, it will remain a single window in name, while inefficiency continues behind it. The NSW is merely an ordinary shell to house agencies.
Unless the agencies themselves are properly equipped with infrastructure, the initiative will fail to deliver meaningful change.
“Bringing agencies together under NSW is not the solution. Interactions may be faster, but without the needed infrastructure, the effort will be frustrated.”
Musa stressed that his position was based on technical knowledge and integrity rather than pessimism.
He compared Nigeria’s export performance with that of Europe and Asia, noting that serious trading economies focus on volume and competitiveness rather than symbolic shipments.
