The Division of AfCFTA Law and Policy Programme (DALP), Office of the Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), says it has recorded significant milestones in its first year of operation from October 2025 to October 2026.
In a one-year scorecard titled “Small Steps Towards A Bigger Impact”, the director in charge of the Division, Prof Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan, said the activities of the Division have enhanced NILDS’ international visibility, formed new strategic partnerships and built the capacity of about 400 diverse stakeholders on AfCFTA.
Prof Ladan said the Division commenced with a hybrid sensitisation programme for NILDS staff in November 2025, where about 70 staff were sensitised on AfCFTA, followed by a continental training programme co-organised by UNECA and NILDS in Abuja in March 2026 to enhance and certify the capacity of over 150 legislators, clerks, legislative aides, National Assembly legal officers and NILDS research officers.
According to the report, the Division also facilitated the LA-NILDS Certificate/Conference from April 2026, where 48 participants were certificated and about 200 participants and dignitaries attended the International Law Association (ILA) Conference.
The report noted that 12 NILDS staff became registered members of the ILA, while the Director-General of NILDS was conferred with the ILA Lifetime Achievement Award.
On publications and advocacy, the Division stated that AfCFTA Policy Briefs 1-15 have been uploaded on the NILDS website library space, while a Compendium on AfCFTA instruments has been compiled and disseminated, adding that the Division secured over 20 media and press coverage slots on NTA, Radio Nigeria and other platforms.
On impact, Prof. Ladan disclosed that four months after the UNECA-NILDS training, the AfCFTA Domestication Bill, HB 2765, 2026, was drafted and passed first and second readings at the House of Representatives, with a public hearing scheduled for July 2026, and improvements were made for third reading.
He also stated that the NILDS-UNECA training model was replicated in East Africa by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) at a programme held in Nairobi, Kenya, from July 28-31, 2026.
The report further listed two pending partnership and collaborative programmes with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Abuja and the African Development…
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