Nigeria is working with the World Bank Group to identify regulatory gaps affecting digital trade as the country seeks to align its domestic policies with the African Continental Free Trade Area’s Digital Trade Protocol.
According to the Nigerian AfCFTA Coordination Office, the initiative will examine how the country’s pending digital economy legislation and planned e-commerce policy can be aligned with continental rules intended to facilitate cross-border digital commerce.
Patience Okala, the office’s national coordinator and chief executive, said the regulatory gap analysis aims to ensure that the protocol, its annexes and Nigeria’s domestic laws and policies operate consistently.
The development comes as African governments seek to reduce regulatory obstacles that prevent businesses from expanding their digital services beyond national borders.
Nigeria has identified Ghana, Egypt, Rwanda, South Africa and Kenya as priority markets for domestic businesses seeking regional expansion. Regulators from the five countries had visited Lagos to examine market-access requirements and identify areas where regulatory processes could be aligned or mutually recognised, Okala said.
Differences in national regulations can complicate cross-border e-commerce, digital payments, electronic transactions and the handling of data.
Businesses operating across multiple African markets may need to navigate different requirements for digital documentation, consumer protection, payment services and regulatory compliance. For smaller companies, these differences can increase the cost of entering new markets and make it harder to scale services across the continent.
In an August 2026 report, the World Bank argued that Africa’s next phase of economic integration depends on reducing trade and regulatory friction and improving connections between national systems. The report identified digital networks, payment infrastructure, customs procedures and services as important components of a more integrated regional market.
The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol provides a continental framework for addressing some of these challenges. Its implementation, however, depends on countries translating regional commitments into domestic laws, regulations and operational systems.
Nigeria’s proposed National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill is part of that process. The legislation is intended to establish a broader legal framework for the country’s digital economy, while the planned e-commerce policy is expected to support the development of online commercial activity.
The regulatory review will help identify where existing rules and proposed measures need to be aligned with the continental framework.
In related news, Nigeria has also been selected as one of three pilot countries for the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade initiative, alongside Egypt and Kenya.
The programme, run by the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Tony Blair Institute, aims to advance interoperability between digital systems and support implementation of the Digital Trade Protocol.
A team has been inaugurated in Nigeria to work on the initiative, according to Okala.
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