NEPAD Business Group Nigeria has renewed its commitment to regional economic integration by partnering with the African Business Roundtable during a landmark AfCFTA forum to advance intra-African trade and private sector collaboration.

In a statement, it was noted that in a powerful signal of its revitalised commitment to African economic integration, the NEPAD Business Group Nigeria, under the leadership of its Chairman, Bashorun Randle, co-hosted a pivotal Business Forum on Operationalising the African Continental Free Trade Area.

It stated, “This landmark event, held in collaboration with the African Business Roundtable on the sidelines of the recently held Afreximbank Annual Meetings 2025, marks a significant relaunch of NBGN’s strategic agenda and underscores its renewed partnership with continental powerhouse ABR.

“The forum, convened at a critical juncture for Africa’s economic future, brought together over 100 high-level public and private sector leaders, development financiers, regulators, and thought leaders. It served as a dynamic platform to translate the ambitious goals of the AfCFTA into actionable strategies, positioning NBGN at the forefront of Nigeria’s and Africa’s trade renaissance.”

In his welcome remarks, Randle set a resolute tone for NBGN’s revitalised mission.

While emphasising that AfCFTA is an engine for industrialisation and job creation, he outlined NBGN’s focus on building the internal capabilities essential for success: robust infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and vibrant domestic industries.

He said, “We must adopt a bold, visionary, and pragmatic approach,” declared Randle, highlighting NBGN’s commitment to overcoming economic bottlenecks, facilitating trade infrastructure, unlocking finance for SMEs, and championing public-private collaboration aligned with Agenda 2063.

The statement further noted that the forum yielded critical insights central to NBGN’s relaunched strategy, Infrastructure Imperative.

It stated, “Panellists unanimously identified reliable power (emphasised by Mallam Idris Danlami Mohammad), efficient logistics, and digital trade infrastructure as non-negotiable foundations. NBGN champions investments in these areas as paramount for intra-African trade. Empowering African SMEs: Recognising SMEs as the backbone of trade, discussions featured solutions like Zenith Bank’s ‘Z-Woman’ and ‘Zero to Hero’ programmes and Sterling Bank’s initiatives to bridge raw material gaps. NBGN commits to advocating for tailored financing and capacity-building for SMEs.

“Policy Harmonisation & Trade Facilitation: Representatives from ECOWAS (Mr. Kolawole Sofola) and Nigerian Customs (Mr. Mojeed Omoniyi) detailed efforts to streamline procedures, digitalise systems (like the SIGMA platform), and eliminate Non-Tariff Barriers. NBGN will actively support these harmonisation efforts. Industrialisation & Value Addition: Dr. AmanyAsfour (Africa Business Council) delivered a compelling call for Africa to move beyond raw material exports: industrialisation of raw materials is essential. Change begins with us by building our capabilities. NBGN places domestic production capacity and value addition at the core of its agenda.

“Self-Reliance & Narrative Shift: Dr. Waheed Olagunju challenged negative perceptions: ‘Africa is not synonymous with poverty.’ The forum emphasised the importance of mobilising domestic resources, deepening capital markets, and leveraging media to reshape Africa’s global image, principles that NBGN will amplify.”