The Federal Government has revised its finished products’ import prohibition list to include 17 categories of goods in furtherance of its ongoing economic reforms agenda targeted at boosting local manufacturing capacity and resilience of the nation’s economy in the face of uncertainties in the global merchandize trade landscape.
Listed among the restricted products in a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance and signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, sequel to the presidential approval of the 2026 fiscal policy measures, were cement, soap, fertiliser, and 14 other categories of goods.
The circular titled “Approval for the Implementation of the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariff Amendments” indicated that the revised measures took effect from April 1, 2026, under the ECOWAS Common External Tariff framework.
It stated: “This is to confirm that His Excellency, Mr President, has approved the implementation of the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures made up of Supplementary Protection Measures (SPM)… with effect from 1st April 2026.
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“The approved SPM, in line with the provision of the ECOWAS CET, comprises… Import Prohibition list (Trade), applicable only to certain goods originating from non-ECOWAS Member States. It consists of 17 items,” the circular added
Details from the Annex III of the circular reflected that the prohibited categories include live or dead birds, including frozen poultry; pork, beef and other meat products such as carcasses, cuts, offal, tongues and livers; bird eggs, excluding those for breeding and research; refined vegetable oils, excluding specific categories like linseed, castor and olive oil; cane or beet sugar in retail packs; cocoa butter, cocoa powder and related cocoa preparations; and tomatoes, whether fresh, in pieces or processed into paste and concentrates.
Others are waters, including mineral and aerated drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages containing sweetening matter; bagged cement; medicaments across multiple classifications; waste pharmaceuticals; mineral and chemical fertilisers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; soaps; detergents; corrugated paper and paperboard and cartons; hollow glass bottles exceeding 150 millilitres; flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products; as well as ballpoint pens and their parts, including refills.
In addition, the circular also introduced an Import Adjustment Tax on 192 tariff lines, stating that the levies will be gradually phased out in line with Nigeria’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).
It further stated that effective “from January 2027, all Import Adjustment Taxes except for products on the African Continental Free Trade Area 3 per cent list, shall be gradually reduced on an annual basis until full elimination to 0 per cent by 2036.”
The circular clarified that “excise duties, including a green tax surcharge, would take effect from July 1, 2026, alongside a 90-day grace period for compliance.
“A grace period of ninety (90) days commencing from the date of this circular is hereby granted to all importers, manufacturers, and service providers before the implementation of the new excise duty rates.”
“However, any new import transaction entered from the 1st of April 2026 shall be subjected to the new import duty regime,” it added.
Analysts believe that the measures, which replaced the 2023 fiscal policy framework and are expected to be published in the official gazette, will support the current reforms of the government to protect the nation’s manufacturing industry, reduce the nation’s reliance on imports, conserve foreign reserves and improve the performance of the economy.
