Inaugurated on 10th November, 2022, Bauchi State Trade Facilitation Centre (BSTFC) emerged the first Trade Facilitation Centre in Nigeria. Situated in Bauchi city, the administrative capital of Bauchi State North East Nigeria. This singular accomplishment by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Bauchi State Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed CON (Kauran Bauchi, Jagaban Katagum) has elicited global attention and global commendation. The Word Trade Organization (WTO) has already acknowledged this monumental achievement by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Bauchi State having succeeded in establishing the first Trade Facilitation Centre in Nigeria and by extention the first of it kind on the entire continent of Africa.

Bauchi State Trade Facilitation Centre has already commenced operations in earnest and by Thursday 2nd November, 2023 a special stakeholders forum (comprising of various MDA’s and private sector bodies) was inaugurated by the Bauchi State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Investment Hon. Mahmood Babamaji with a view to facilitate inter-agency collaboration towards meeting the strategic objectives of Trade Facilitation delivery in Bauchi State in line with the overall aspirations of the Word Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) entered into by the entire World Trade Organization Member Nations after the WTO inter-ministerial conference that took place in Bali, Indonesia in 2013

Bauchi State Trade Facilitation Centre was established to meet the following three fundamental objectives

1. To boost trading activities within the local business environment through the deployment of relevant technology (e-commerce) so as to link-up the local traders with various trading centers across the World. Bauchi State Trade Facilitation Centre will further strive to boost the trading environment by:
   1. Looking at the existing trade laws in Bauchi State, with a view to suggest to the State Ministry of Justice a review of all stringent laws that constitute serious disincentive to trade and trading activities in the state.
   2. Organizing capacity building workshops, conferences, seminars and town-hall meetings so as to update the knowledge of traders in Bauchi State with modern trading strategies and procedures etc.
2. To strive to attract the much needed domestic and foreign direct investments toward the overall economic development and prosperity of Bauchi State. This we intend to achieve through
   1. Undertaking official visits to selected embassies in Abuja, with a view to work with them towards mobilizing investors from their various countries to come and invest in Bauchi State
   2. Embarking on a number of important trade and investment missions to a number of countries with a view to outsource trade and investment into Bauchi State.
   3. Organizing investment summits periodically, with a view to showcasing the abundant investment potentials in Bauchi State so as to attract the desired investments etc.
3. To promote entrepreneurship in line with the Bauchi State Government’s policy for economic diversification through sustainable entrepreneurship development, BSTFC will collaboration with all the higher institutions in the state (i.e Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Sa’adu Zungur State University Gadau, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi and Adamau Tafawa Balewa Collage of Education Kangere). This is with a view to come together to jointly develop the framework for the organization of an annual international conference on entrepreneurship for our teaming youths in the higher institutions so as to prepare them for entrepreneurial life after graduation etc.

Bauchi State Trade Facilitation Centre is structured in order to undertake a number of specific functions aimed at achieving the following overall objectives:

1. To receive reports from stakeholders on bad practices by operational officers at Nigerian Ports, Border Posts, Highways, Airports etc. with a view to intervening and reversing same
2. Undertake advocacy, mobilization and sensitization visits, with a view to seek partnerships and collaborations with relevant stakeholders towards the successful delivery of trade facilitation activities in Bauchi State
3. Making recommendations to National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) on strategic trade facilitation goals and operations in Bauchi State
4. Ensure that trade facilitation related agencies in Bauchi State provide trade facilitating infrastructure based on their areas of responsibility
5. Provide a forum for discussions with stakeholders on trade facilitation related policies to address any overlapping functions and communicating same to the NTFC
6. Undertake well structure programme with a view to attract the much need domestic and foreign direct investment in Bauchi State
7. Sensitize the public on trade facilitation measures, practices and standards
8. To disseminate necessary information from the NTFC to stakeholders in Bauchi State
9. To domesticate the mapped National Positions on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement implementation in Bauchi State in line with the National Trade Policy
10. To attend all trade and investment related meetings within and outside the country or any other forum which the centre is invited
11. To organize conferences, workshops, seminars and town-hall meetings with a view to improve the capacity of our local traders, the business community and students of tertiary institutions on new trends and developments in trade, industry and entrepreneurship generally
12. Facilitate the process of implementations of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation in Bauchi State
13. Ensuring the free movement of persons, goods and services at highways and the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport Bauchi by ensuring the total elimination of all unauthorized checkpoints within the territory of Bauchi State
14. Ensure the elimination of multiple taxation and extortion of any form in Bauchi State to work with the State Board of Internal Revenue and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) towards meeting this important aspiration
15. Work with the Bauchi State Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) towards the successful delivery of trade facilitation at the local government levels
16. Reporting and helping to reduce administrative bottlenecks, institutional rigidities and bureaucracy related to trade facilitation in Bauchi State
17. Frequent communication with the NTFC, WTO and other trade facilitation institutions across the world on matters that require prompt attention and action
18. Carry out routine monitoring of local markets across the state and prepare monthly, quarterly and annual reports