Stakeholders across West and Central Africa have raised alarm over severe logistical and infrastructural gaps that force African exports to pass through multiple non-African ports before reaching destinations within the continent — a delay that stretches shipment time by nearly 50 days.
They warned that unless Africa bridges its $120.83 billion transport infrastructure deficit by 2030, the $3 trillion annual GDP target under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could remain elusive.
The concern was voiced at the opening of a two-day Sub-Regional Seminar and Meeting of the Standing Committee on Trade and Transport of the Union of African Shippers’ Councils (UASC), held in Lagos from October 29–30, 2025.
The event, themed “The Readiness of Countries of West and Central Africa in the Implementation of the AfCFTA – The Role of Shippers’ Councils,” was jointly organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and UASC under the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Senior International Trade Policy and Law Expert, Olusegun Olutayo, decried the sluggish growth of intra-African trade, which has risen marginally from 10 per cent in 1964 to only 18–20 per cent in 2025.
Recalling his experience with Nigeria’s first AfCFTA shipment to Mombasa, Kenya, earlier in the year, Olutayo lamented that the cargo had to route through Malaysia, Singapore, and Pakistan due to poor regional logistics links.
Head of Research and Policy Advisory at the Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC), Dr. Eugene Nweke, attributed the setbacks to lack of harmonised trade standards, poor customs modernisation, and weak logistics systems.
He urged governments to adopt phased liberalisation strategies, negotiate rules of origin that reward regional value addition, and introduce alternative tax systems to offset lost tariff revenues.
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi, called for sustainable solutions to ease cross-border trade bottlenecks, while Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, emphasised that readiness for AfCFTA must go beyond security to include digitalisation, infrastructure, and regional connectivity.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, affirmed that the theme reflected Africa’s shared resolve to transform AfCFTA from a policy framework into a practical tool for driving industrialisation, trade growth, and inclusive prosperity across the continent