NILDS: From training 400 stakeholders to supporting legislative reform, the Division’s first-year scorecard highlights a growing contribution to Africa’s trade integration agenda.
A continental trade agreement becomes meaningful when the people responsible for implementing it understand its obligations, lawmakers can translate its provisions into domestic legislation, and institutions have the knowledge to guide its application.
That is the work reflected in the first anniversary scorecard of the Division of AfCFTA Law and Policy Programme (DALP), Office of the Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
Under the direction of Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan, PhD, the Division reports that its activities between October 2025 and October 2026 strengthened the capacity of about 400 diverse stakeholders, expanded NILDS’ international visibility and established new strategic partnerships.
Titled “Small Steps Towards a Bigger Impact,” the scorecard documents a year of staff sensitisation, parliamentary training, international legal engagement, research publications and contributions to Nigeria’s AfCFTA legislative process. ONE YEAR OF CONTRIBUTION BY THE…
For an institution completing its first year, the record offers a substantial foundation: a programme connecting legal scholarship with the practical demands of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Building knowledge within NILDS
The Division’s recorded activities began with a hybrid sensitisation programme for NILDS staff on 28 November 2025, reaching approximately 70 staff members.
Starting within the Institute gave the programme an important institutional base. Effective support for lawmakers depends on the knowledge of the researchers, legal officers and other personnel who prepare analysis, interpret policy and support legislative work.
The sensitisation programme therefore formed an early step towards strengthening NILDS’ own ability to engage with the AfCFTA Agreement and its protocols.
Equipping the people who shape legislation
A major milestone followed on 3–5 March 2026, when NILDS and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) organised a capacity-building programme at the Abuja Continental Hotel.
The Division’s scorecard records 150 participants, including legislators, clerks, legislative aides, National Assembly legal officers and NILDS research officers, whose capacity was enhanced and who received participation certificates.
An independent account by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa confirms that the three-day workshop brought together 150 participants and was organised through its African Trade Policy Centre, in collaboration with NILDS and with contributions from the AfCFTA Secretariat.
The programme addressed the legislature’s responsibilities in implementing the Agreement, including domestication, oversight, intellectual property and digital trade. Participants adopted a resolution calling for stronger institutional support, executive–legislature cooperation and wider stakeholder engagement. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Its significance lies in the responsibilities of those trained. Legislators determine the laws; clerks and legislative drafters support their preparation; research and legal officers help establish the evidence and legal reasoning on which informed decisions depend.
Supporting Nigeria’s AfCFTA legislative process
The scorecard identifies progress on the AfCFTA Domestication Bill, HB 2765, 2026, among the developments associated with the Division’s first-year work.
It reports that, four months after the March training, the Bill had been drafted and passed its first and second readings in the House of Representatives. It also records a public hearing scheduled for 27 July 2026 and improvements to the Bill intended for third reading.
LegalLinkz’s earlier coverage of the public hearing documented Professor Ladan’s presentation of a memorandum prepared with NILDS colleagues Dr. Usman Ibrahim and Dr. Shamsu Yahya.
Their submission addressed legislative oversight, institutional coordination, stakeholder inclusion and implementation reporting. It recommended measurable performance indicators and stronger accountability arrangements. legallinkz.com
This contribution gives practical expression to the Division’s mandate. Training builds understanding; a carefully prepared memorandum brings that understanding into the scrutiny of proposed legislation.
For Professor Ladan and his team, the achievement is a documented contribution to the national conversation about how AfCFTA commitments should operate within Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework.
Connecting Nigeria’s experience with East Africa
The Division also reports that the NILDS–UNECA training model was replicated for the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) at a programme in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28–31 July 2026.
UNECA’s account of the Nairobi workshop independently confirms the dates and the participation of EALA’s Standing Committee on Communication, Trade and Investment.
The workshop focused on strengthening legislators’ understanding of the Agreement, its protocols and the relationship between continental integration and existing regional frameworks. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
The Division’s reported connection between the Abuja and Nairobi programmes adds a continental dimension to its anniversary record. It points to the value of sharing approaches to parliamentary capacity building across institutions confronting similar implementation questions.
Expanding professional engagement through the ILA
Another significant achievement was the ILA–NILDS certificate programme and conference held from 13–16 April 2026.
According to the scorecard, 48 participants received certificates, while approximately 200 registered participants and dignitaries attended the International Law Association conference.
The programme also produced lasting professional connections: 12 NILDS staff became registered members of the ILA, while the Director-General of NILDS received the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
These figures represent different forms of participation and should be read separately from the Division’s overall estimate of about 400 stakeholders whose capacity was enhanced.
The professional memberships are particularly relevant to the Institute’s longer-term work. They create opportunities for continued engagement with international legal scholarship and professional networks beyond the duration of a single conference.
NILDS : Creating resources that outlast the classroom
The Division’s work extended into publications and public communication.
Its scorecard records AfCFTA Policy Briefs 1–13 uploaded to the NILDS website library, alongside a compiled and disseminated compendium of AfCFTA instruments.
The NILDS institutional repository also lists AfCFTA research attributed to Professor Ladan, including work on national implementation and the Guided Trade Initiative. ir.nilds.gov.ng
Such resources preserve knowledge beyond training events. They provide reference material for researchers, legislative personnel and other readers seeking to understand the Agreement and its implementation.
The scorecard further records more than 20 media and press coverage slots, including appearances or coverage on NTA, Radio Nigeria, print and social media platforms.
Together, the publications and media engagement broadened the channels through which the Division’s work could reach both specialist and public audiences.
Recognising Professor Ladan’s leadership
Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan’s contribution deserves recognition for the coherent direction evident in the first-year programme.
The official NILDS faculty listing identifies him as Director of the Division of AfCFTA Law and Policy in the Office of the Director-General. His documented research and legislative engagement show a professional focus on connecting legal analysis with implementation. NILDS CAEEP
Under his direction, the anniversary record brings together activities that reinforce one another: sensitisation supports institutional understanding, training strengthens legislative capacity, publications preserve knowledge, and policy submissions bring research into public decision-making.
Credit also belongs to the NILDS leadership, the Division’s personnel, participating institutions and development partners whose contributions made these activities possible.
The first-year achievements offer a fitting occasion to acknowledge Professor Ladan’s stewardship while celebrating the collective effort behind the programme.
NILDS : A foundation for the next year
The scorecard identifies two pending partnership or collaborative programmes with CDD–Abuja and APRI–Abuja, indicating further work under development.
The accompanying anniversary graphic also highlights a UNHCR–NILDS training workshop, illustrating a broader programme of institutional engagement. 8bf4b7fd-80de-43c4-be3e-8cbbd2a…
For DALP, the next chapter will build on an established base of trained stakeholders, research materials, professional relationships and legislative contributions.
Its first anniversary provides a clear reason for celebration: within one year, the Division has assembled a body of work directed at one of Africa’s most demanding policy tasks—giving continental trade commitments practical legal and institutional meaning.
The full one-year scorecard is attached for readers seeking the detailed record of the Division’s activities and reported achievements.
ONE YEAR OF CONTRIBUTION BY THE DIVISION OF AFCFTA LAW AND POLICY PROGRAMME
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