Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said the state has been positioned as a global player in the exporting business and as a strategic connecting hub for other states seeking access to international markets.
The governor said that this was made possible following the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) strategy by Oyo State in 2025.
Makinde, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde, disclosed this during the “Training of Trainers Workshop” organised for stakeholders involved in the implementation of the AfCFTA strategy in the state, held at the Local Government Staff Training School, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The governor stated that Oyo State chose to be the first sub-national government in Africa to sign and domesticate the AfCFTA strategy because the state government decided to be deliberate and forward-looking in unlocking the massive opportunities in trades, export business and industrialisation.
He explained that the state keyed into the initiative because of its vast potential to expand market access, remove tariff barriers, and create new opportunities for Oyo State products across African countries, saying the AfCFTA framework would significantly enhance Oyo State’s agricultural business, particularly in terms of export volumes and rising demand for agricultural produce.
He stated: “We keyed into this because we know it is going to expand the market access opportunities for Oyo State in terms of our products getting into other countries free of tariff since we developed our implementation strategy.
“We also know that this is going to enhance our agribusiness and agricultural sector in terms of the exports that we are going to bring about and the demand that is going to come in for our exports.”
Governor Makinde noted that the initiative would also provide a platform to promote Oyo State’s service sector, including education, healthcare, tourism, and other service-based industries within the state.
He described the initiative as an integrated opportunity that brings together both state and non-state actors, stressing that effective implementation depends largely on capacity-building, which according to him, informed the decision to organise the Training of Trainers Workshop.
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The governor explained further that participants at the workshop would be exposed to the opportunities available in the AfCFTA implementation strategy, the integrated value chain, regulatory mechanisms, and the critical roles regulators must play to ensure compliance and success.
He said the trainees are expected to return to their respective associations and disseminate the knowledge gained, thereby ensuring a broad-based understanding and effective grassroots implementation of the AfCFTA strategy across the state.
Makinde noted: “For the state actors and the non-state actors to be able to implement these strategies, we need to enhance their capacity. That’s actually why we are building their capacity at this particular Train the Trainers Workshop.
“Different professional associations and different government agencies will be involved in carrying out these implementation strategies. So, we need to enhance their capacities and make them realise what they need to do.”
Non State Actors Investment in AfCFTA
Earlier in her welcome address, the Special Adviser on International Trade and African Continental Free Trade Area, Ms Neo Theodore Tlhaselo, congratulated the AfCFTA Secretariat, Oyo State Government, partners and participants at the workshop on their dedication and commitment to the implementation of the AfCFTA in Oyo State.
She noted that no government could implement the strategy without substantial investment in the AfCFTA by non-state actors, and therefore charged government partners to invest in the implementation of AfCFTA without depending on the government.
Tlhaselo stated: “So, this Train the Trainers Workshop will equip us to be able to articulate that which we intend to achieve. And to also align whatever strategies and plans that you have within your organisations to what we intend to achieve as a state.
“This workshop is mandatory. It is what is expected of us by the AfCFTA Secretariat. So, we are ensuring that we are compliant to every exercise that is expected of us.”
The event had in attendance the Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives, Hon Adeniyi Adebisi; the Senior Consultant, Conversation With Africa, Mr Mawana; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Homeland Security and Migration Service, ACG Segun Adegoke (rtd).
Also present were, the Director-General, Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency, Mr Tilewa Folami; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment, and Cooperatives; development partners and other stakeholders.