The Federal Government has expanded its import prohibition list to 17 categories of goods, targeting products such as cement, fertilisers, soaps, food items, pharmaceuticals and selected industrial materials as part of its 2026 fiscal policy measures.
This was contained 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, following presidential approval. The directive took effect from April 1, 2026, under the ECOWAS Common External Tariff framework.
According to the ministry, the prohibition applies strictly to goods originating from countries outside the ECOWAS region and is designed to protect local industries while reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imports.
The affected items cut across agriculture, consumer goods, manufacturing inputs and healthcare products. They include poultry and other meat products, eggs except for breeding and research, selected vegetable oils, packaged sugar, cocoa products, tomatoes in fresh and processed forms, sweetened non-alcoholic beverages, bagged cement, medicaments and pharmaceutical waste, nitrogen-, phosphorus- and potassium-based fertilisers, soaps and detergents, corrugated paper and cartons, large glass bottles, certain flat-rolled steel products, as well as ballpoint pens and their components.
In addition to the import ban, the government introduced an Import Adjustment Tax covering 192 tariff lines. The tax will begin a gradual phase-down from January 2027 and is expected to be completely removed by 2036 in line with Nigeria’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
New excise duties, including a green tax surcharge, are scheduled to begin on July 1, 2026. Importers, manufacturers and service providers have been granted a 90-day grace period to comply with the new excise rates.
The ministry clarified that businesses with valid trade documentation before April 1, 2026, will be allowed to clear their goods under the previous rules within the grace window. However, any new import transaction from that date will fall under the revised policy.
The new measures replace the 2023 fiscal policy framework and are expected to be published in the official gazette.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has consistently advised Nigeria to reconsider its use of import bans and high tariffs. In its recent Nigeria Development Update reports, the bank noted that such restrictions can reduce customs revenue, increase production costs and contribute to inflationary pressures.
The institution recommended easing trade barriers, particularly for food items and key industrial inputs, as part of efforts to improve competitiveness, stabilise prices and support economic recovery.
