The Federal Government has announced a ban on the importation of cement, poultry products, pharmaceuticals, and several agricultural goods from countries outside the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This directive was outlined in a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance and signed by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, dated April 1, 2026.
According to the document, the affected items are part of an updated import prohibition list covering 17 categories of goods. The list applies specifically to products originating from non-ECOWAS countries.
The new policy forms part of the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures and tariff adjustments, replacing the 2023 framework.
To ease the transition, the government approved a 90-day grace period for importers who had already initiated transactions before the policy came into effect. This applies to those who had opened Form ‘M’ and finalized irrevocable trade agreements before April 1, 2026.
However, all new import transactions from that date onward will fall under the revised import duty regime.
Items affected by the ban include live and frozen poultry, beef and pork, bird eggs (with some exceptions), refined vegetable oils, sugar, cocoa products, and tomatoes. Other restricted goods are non-alcoholic beverages, bagged cement, certain medicines, fertilisers, soaps and detergents, paper products, glass bottles, steel materials, and ballpoint pens and their components.
In addition, the Federal Government introduced a 2% green tax on motor vehicles. The levy targets vehicles with engine capacities ranging from 2009cc to over 4000cc.
The ministry added that the new fiscal measures will be officially published in the Federal Government Gazette.
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