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Oyo State Government has met with the leadership of the African Continental Free Trade Area in Ghana to discuss collaborative initiatives as the state begins the full implementation of the AfCFTA Strategy.
This followed a Training the Trainers Workshop held in Ibadan last week, with the Special Adviser on International Trade and AfCFTA, Ms Neo Theodore Tlhaselo, stating that the deliberation in Ghana, which was the first in 2026, was held to “set the tone for the collaborative initiatives intended between Oyo State Government and the AfCFTA Secretariat, as the full rollout of implementation begins.”
According to her, the discussion centred on the 2026 Action Plan of the Oyo State Government on AfCFTA, following the allocation of funds to the AfCFTA in the 2026 Budget to drive the initiative and support the Oyo State AfCFTA Strategy rollout.
At the meeting, the AfCFTA Secretary-General, Mr Wamkele Mene, praised Governor Makinde for exhibiting purposeful and visionary leadership, noting that Oyo State stands out as one of the few governments with isolated budget for the AfCFTA rollout outside the budget of its Ministry of Trade.
Mene also noted that Oyo State Government, through the governor, has continued to demonstrate commendable commitment to AfCFTA, a development which he said would greatly help the state’s AfCFTA Implementation Strategy and propel the state to economic success.
The meeting discussed the action plan and collaborative engagements with the AfCFTA Secretariat, as the Secretary-General engaged with the state government on advancing AfCFTA implementation at the sub-national level and accelerating industrial development in Oyo State.
Tlhaselo added that the discussion also touched on strengthening Oyo State as a manufacturing and trade hub, leveraging on special economic zones, and modernising trade systems through digital solutions, while also placing emphasis on attracting strategic investment, improving logistics and border efficiency, and linking local industries to continental value chains under the AfCFTA framework.
She said: “You would recall that we had the Training of Trainers Workshop on AfCFTA Implementation Strategy in Oyo State on 6th February, 2026, which sought to further dissect the strategy and key in economic players and government officials for an understanding of their role in the implementation and roll out.
“Trainers were encouraged to further train their colleagues and traders on the strategy so that the rollout becomes seamless.
“Following this workshop, we had to come to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, where we met with the Secretary-General, AfCFTA, HE Wamkele Mene.
“This first meeting of the year was to set tone for the collaborative initiatives intended between Oyo State Government and AfCFTA Secretariat as the full rollout of implementation begins.”
She added, “The engagement highlighted the growing importance of state-level leadership in delivering practical trade outcomes and transforming AfCFTA from policy into tangible economic opportunity -driving jobs, competitiveness, and deeper regional integration.”
