The federal government has disclosed that it would soon achieve a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with one or two of its major trading partners in Africa that will facilitate acceptance of quality assurance issued by NAFDAC and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Nigerian products that are traded with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by Senior Trade Expert and Lead, Trade Enablement, Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Dr. Olusegun Olutayo, during a webinar on “From Protocol to Prosperity: Opportunities Under the AfCFTA Digital Trade Framework,” which was organised by the Nigeria Institute of International Affair (NIIA).
Olutayo said: “As we are speaking right now, there is a workshop that is going on in Nairobi, Kenya, around this subject matter.
“In technical language there is what we call Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). It means how will a Nigerian technical standard from NAFDAC, Standard Organisation of Nigeria on products that are made in Nigeria be recognised in Kenya, Namibia or South Africa seamlessly and allow our businesses to move their goods without worrying if the standards issued on their products will be recognised by these countries.
“This MRA would allow countries to say ‘okay, we have recognized it based on this aggrement.”
He, however, clarified that Nigeria has not reached this agreement with any country yet under the AfCFTA agreement.
“You can ask: do we have it now? As I speak to you the answer is no! Are we going to have it soon? The answer is yes!
“I can assure you that very soon Nigeria will achieve an MRA with one or two of our major trading partners in Africa that will allow our businesses to have a seamless transaction,” he said.
Olutayo also said that the AfCFTA’s digital protocol, which was adapted in 2024 while its annexes were adopted in 2025, is essentially how to unlock Africa digital trade potentials in a manner that would foster inclusive digital trade and economic growth.
He said that the benefits of this protocol driving digital economic transformation; boosting intra-African trade; creating opportunities and innovation in the context of job creation, supporting start-ups and developing indigenous products that will alleviate challenges within the context of Africa trade.
He said: “We should understand that the AfCFTA is not just an agreement but one that can prosper every individual African and countries that have clear policies and focus on them.
“I bet you that we will deliver economic growth for our country. It is within this protocol that we have opportunity to facilitate seamless digital transaction.”
