Nigeria's relationship with the African Continental Free Trade Area is at a turning point, and writer Ehi Braimah is paying close attention. In a recent piece for Premium Times, Braimah frames the moment plainly: if implementation can keep pace with ambition, AfCFTA has the potential to be the catalyst that structural transformation advocates have been waiting for.
The core argument is one of direction. For decades, Nigerian policymakers have talked about moving the economy away from its dependence on crude oil toward something more diversified and export-driven. AfCFTA, in Braimah's reading, is one of the more credible vehicles for actually getting there, but the vehicle still needs a driver.
Braimah also connects his analysis to a broader continental conversation. He references Biashara Afrika, described as the premier continental business forum, as a space where these ideas are being tested against real business conditions across Africa.
The honest tension in his piece is right there in the title: ambition, progress, and the challenge of delivery. Nigeria has shown up to the AfCFTA table. The question now is what it does once the meeting starts.
Originally published by Premium Times.