CISLAC wants FG to remove non-tariff barriers, upgrade industrial capacity, others
Agency Report
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Comrade Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani to remove non-tariff barriers, simplify cross-border trade processes, and upgrade our industrial capacity to ensure that trade becomes a key driver of development and revenue generation.
Speaking at a press briefing Tuesday in Abuja during this national policy dialogue on Financing for Development in Nigeria, being held in preparation for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) scheduled for 2025.
He said Nigeria and many other African nations continues to face serious challenges in mobilizing the resources required to meet its development obligations.
He said most Nigerian states do not have active, measurable development blueprints adding that this makes it difficult to assess progress, correct failures, or attract meaningful investment.
He also called for the industrialization must become the heart of our economic transformation agenda.
He explained that a new document which presents Nigeria’s position on financing for development titled “Financing for Development in Nigeria: Sectoral Context and Insights for the Fourth International Conference” outlines the country’s development financing challenges, sectoral gaps, and policy recommendations to shape Nigeria’s engagement with the global community.
He said the report reveals that Nigeria faces a multidimensional financing gap, driven by underperforming domestic resource mobilization, inequitable global financial rules, and increasing vulnerability to climate change.
Also, the Executive Director, Connected Development (CODE), Hamzat Lawal, said Nigeria is therefore advocating for reforms in international tax rules, climate finance accessibility, and concessional financing frameworks.
He urged the government and civil society are jointly urging the international community to prioritize loss and damage financing, equitable access to green investments, and reforms to Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to support middle-income countries with high poverty burdens.
Also, the Senior Program Officer Oxfam, Henry Ushie, said in preparation for FfD4, scheduled to take place in June 3rd 2025 in Seville under the auspices of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Nigeria is also calling for stronger civil society engagement, decentralized finance reforms at the subnational level, and innovative instruments such as debt-for-development swaps, green bonds, and results-based financing.
He said the upcoming FfD4 conference presents a critical opportunity to reshape the international financing system and unlock the investments required for a just and resilient future.
