By Dare Akogun
The United Kingdom has reaffirmed that Nigeria will continue to enjoy duty-free access on 99% of goods exported to the UK market under the *Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), in a move designed to boost trade, support economic growth, and enhance competitiveness of Nigerian businesses globally.
Launched in June 2023, the DCTS is part of the UK’s global strategy to support emerging economies like Nigeria by simplifying export rules, reducing tariffs on thousands of goods, and providing easier access to trade benefits.
According to the British High Commission, the scheme enables Nigeria and 36 other African countries to export more than 3,000 products either duty-free or at significantly reduced tariffs into the UK, thereby creating opportunities for Nigerian exporters to expand their reach and improve profit margins.
Under the scheme, key Nigerian products such as cocoa, yam, tomatoes, plantain, shrimp, and other agricultural commodities are eligible for duty-free access.
The DCTS also supports value-added exports like cocoa butter, sesame oil, cashew nuts, cotton garments, and palm oil a critical step towards moving Nigeria beyond raw material exports.
Speaking on the impact of the scheme, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, stated:
“As one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa, Nigeria stands at the heart of the UK’s global trade ambitions. We want to strengthen our trade ties and unlock the power of sustainable and transformative growth.”
He added that the DCTS is not just about expanding access to UK markets, but about building “a fairer, freer global trading system that supports economic growth and job creation both in developing countries and the UK.”
Dr. Montgomery further revealed that through the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP), the UK government is working closely with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to address export bottlenecks and fully optimize the benefits of the DCTS.
The scheme is part of the UK’s broader efforts to forge strong economic ties across the globe, with similar trade agreements recently established with other key economies such as India and the United States.
With this confirmation, Nigerian exporters are encouraged to leverage the trade scheme to increase their export portfolio, diversify earnings, and drive job creation across agriculture and manufacturing sectors.