Nigeria targets wider access to West African markets

Nigeria’s federal government urged manufacturers, farmers and entrepreneurs to use the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) to expand into West African markets. At a workshop in Lokoja, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye said Nigeria had registered about 3,500 companies and 20,000 products under the scheme, but remained below its potential. He identified livestock, mangoes, millet, maize, sugar, groundnuts and cashew as products that could be processed for export. Kogi Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo cited proposed projects including the Ajaokuta Free Trade Zone, an agro-processing zone and an international airport to attract investment and connect local businesses to international markets.