The Federal Government has expanded its import prohibition list to 17 categories, now specifically targeting items such as cement, soaps, and fertilizers.
This update was revealed in a circular titled “Approval for the Implementation of the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariff Amendments,” signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
The document confirmed 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.”
These restrictions apply to goods coming from non-ECOWAS countries as part of a strategy to protect local trade.
According to the circular, “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 17 Prohibited Categories Include:
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Live or dead birds, including frozen poultry.
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Pork, beef, and other meat products such as carcasses, cuts, offal, tongues, and livers.
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Bird eggs, excluding those for breeding and research.
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Refined vegetable oils, excluding specific categories like linseed, castor, and olive oil.
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Cane or beet sugar in retail packs.
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Cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and related cocoa preparations.
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Spaghetti and noodles.
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Fruit juices in retail packs.
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Tomatoes, whether fresh, in pieces, or processed into paste and concentrates.
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Waters, including mineral, aerated, and other non-alcoholic beverages containing sweetening matter.
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Bagged cement.
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Medicaments across multiple classifications.
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Waste pharmaceuticals.
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Mineral and chemical fertilisers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK).
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Soaps and detergents.
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Corrugated paper, paperboard, and cartons.
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Hollow glass bottles exceeding 150 millilitres.
The policy also introduces an Import Adjustment Tax on 192 tariff lines. The government stated, “With effect 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.”
Additionally, new excise duties and a “green tax” will begin on July 1, 2026. A 90-day window has been provided 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.”
Importers with documentation dated before April 1 can still clear goods under the old rules during this time, but “any new import transaction entered from the 1st of April 2026 shall be subjected to the new import duty regime.”
The World Bank has criticized these moves, suggesting that removing bans could increase customs revenue by 66%. In its April 2026 Nigeria Development Update, it advised the government to “reduce import tariffs and lift import bans for selected products, particularly food and key intermediate inputs.”
The report noted that “the government should consider seizing the opportunity created by the market-reflective, competitive exchange rate to reorient trade policy for growth and jobs,” warning that high restrictions currently contribute to inflation and rising costs for manufacturers.
