As the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization approaches in Yaoundé, Cameroon from March 26 to March 29, 2026, Nigeria is stepping forward with a renewed diplomatic and economic strategy. Leading that effort is Jumoke Oduwole, whose focus is ensuring that the next round of global trade negotiations supports Nigeria’s industrial ambitions and strengthens Africa’s regional trade integration.
For Jumoke Oduwole, the objective goes beyond simply participating in international trade discussions. Her agenda is centered on ensuring that emerging global trade rules actively support Nigeria’s industrial development while reinforcing the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Speaking during the first quarter meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee in 2026, she emphasized that Nigeria is positioning itself not just as a participant in global trade but as a Digital Trade Champion and a leading facilitator of international investment.
A key highlight of the meeting was the unveiling of the first volume of the AfCFTA Business Connector Simplified Tools, a new initiative designed to make the continental trade agreement easier for businesses to understand and access. Trade agreements are often complex and filled with legal terminology that can discourage smaller businesses from participating. The new tools aim to simplify the process by translating key provisions of the agreement into practical guidance that Nigerian entrepreneurs can use.
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The platform provides step by step information on how businesses can export goods under AfCFTA’s preferential tariff system, navigate government agencies, obtain required certifications and access trade financing opportunities. To ensure accessibility across Nigeria’s diverse population, the tools have been translated into several languages including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin and Arabic. The goal is to make it possible for traders, manufacturers and artisans across the country to participate in cross border trade without needing specialized legal expertise.
Jumoke Oduwole also confirmed that African nations will approach the upcoming WTO ministerial conference with a unified policy agenda. Following a recent meeting of African trade ministers in Mozambique, the continent has agreed on a consolidated framework known as the Maputo Ministerial Declaration.
The declaration outlines several priority areas that African countries will push during negotiations. These include reforms to the WTO dispute settlement system to ensure smaller economies are protected within the global trading system. African nations are also advocating for the adoption of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, a process in which Jumoke Oduwole has been appointed ministerial facilitator.
Other priorities include new rules that would allow countries to maintain food reserves without violating global trade restrictions, reforms to digital trade policies that would allow African economies to develop their digital infrastructure, and efforts to secure permanent observer status for the African Union within the WTO.
Beyond international negotiations, Oduwole is also working to translate trade policy into economic opportunities across Nigeria. Beginning in April 2026, the ministry plans to launch a nationwide subnational intervention tour aimed at identifying at least one exportable product in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
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The initiative is designed to move trade policy beyond federal level coordination and into local economic clusters. By identifying export opportunities within communities, the government hopes to create new sources of foreign exchange while expanding Nigeria’s manufacturing and agricultural value chains.
This strategy is supported by the Public Private Press Summit framework introduced in 2025, which seeks to strengthen collaboration between government institutions, private sector operators and the media. A new institutional performance barometer will also track how effectively government agencies support trade facilitation, adding a layer of accountability to Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda.
