AfCFTA: NANTS decries absence of national trade policy as agreement takes-off
On
By Victoria Ojeme
The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) has called for an urgent drafting of a Nigerian national trade policy document to harmonised all trade relations with neighboring and third-party countries.
This is coming as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) goes into force on January 1, 2021. Following years of preparation, and a pandemic postponement from its original start date in mid-2019, the world will welcome the largest free trade area since the development of the World Trade Organization, by number of participating countries.
The NANTS President, Dr Ken Ukaoha, in a statement on Nigeria’s “negotiations scorecard and agenda-setting for 2021” said the prolonged absence of trade and Investment related policies despite the long cry on the subjects has not helped in Nigeria’s positioning and the provision of negotiation compass.