Reviewing the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for Nigeria and Africa

The Lagos Plan of Action and Abuja Treaty serve as foundations for the AfCFTA, which is based on Africa's economic unification goal. Its five-year implementation is evaluated in this research, which also highlights opportunities, advancements, and problems for Nigeria and Africa. The AfCFTA, rooted in Africa’s economic integration agenda, builds on the Lagos Plan of Action and Abuja Treaty. This study assesses its five-year implementation, highlighting challenges, progress, and opportunities for Nigeria and Africa. Drawing lessons from other Regional Trade Agreements, such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) called AFTA, it explains the difference between AFTA and AFCFTA and why AFTA is making progress.
The article adopts a descriptive research design combined with a mixed-methods and the positive deviance (PD) approach. The PD approach attempts to explain why setting individuals or organisations are making obvous progress while the others are not, despite having the same or related conditions or constraints. The PD approach has never been implemented in the area of international trade to the best of the researchers knowledge.
The study finds that progress has been made at the policy angle, but not in the actual trade. Several challenges remain, such as issues bordering on trade facilitation. The biggest challenges facing the Nigerian business are poor infrastructure and logistics, representing 37.2% of all challenges, limited business finance follows at 26.5%, and regulatory compliance issues (17.7%). It further finds that, apart from the larger market benefit, growth in manufacturing, as well as job creation and employment growth, are opportunities the AfCFTA will bring to Nigeria, including increased foreign direct investment. Using the PD approach, the study finds several success factors explaining why ASEAN FTA is doing well, which include effective implementation of harmonized standards and regulations, proactive engagement with the private sector, transparent dispute resolution mechanisms, and strong institutional frameworks supporting agreements. Key recommendations for improving the country’s participation in the AfCFTA include
 In the short term, the government should fully implement the National Single Window System (NSW) and address non-tariff barriers.
 In the medium term, the government should Strengthen Trade Infrastructure and Logistics, harmonize its trade, investment, and industrial policies, and In the long term, implement Fiscal and Financial Incentives and develop a trade defense mechanism.
From the PD approach, for Africa, especially the AU, the following recommendations were cited:
 Strengthen Institutional Capacity with Regional Decentralization
 Implement Clear and Realistic Phased Timelines
 Enhance Harmonization of Technical Standards and Mutual Recognition