The Muslim Lecturers Association (MLA) has called for the development of AI-powered trade forecast systems to enable Nigerian exporters and business owners better anticipate market shifts and tariff barriers.
MLA tasked the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to support the creation of the forecast systems.
The trade forecast system is one of the 12 policy measures the Association suggested as Nigeria’s integrated national response to external economic pressures at a virtual event that was used to commemorate the 2025 Workers’ Day.
Themed ‘United States Trade Wars or Trade Wins? Pathways for Nigeria’s Survival in a Shifting Global Economy’, the programme was convened by MLA’s Committee on National Issues, Development, and Advocacy (C-NIDA) in collaboration with Klients Aspire Ltd (International).
Our medium learnt that a diverse audience of policymakers, business leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, students, and members of the Nigerian diaspora community participated in the virtual discussion.
In a communique issued by Dr. Lukman Raimi, Chairman, C-NIDA MLA, on Monday, May 5th 2025 following the event, the Association observed that Nigeria needs to take a proactive, policy-driven approach to economic survival in the face of global trade realignments.
MLA also urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to urgently create a Tariff Impact Adjustment Winding (TIAW) under its Development Finance Department to stabilise affected sectors and small and medium enterprises.
”The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment should also launch an Emergency Export Buffer Program (EEBP) to offer targeted relief to sectors of the Nigerian economy affected directly and indirectly by new tariffs through credit access, levy waivers, and rapid-response export support teams,” the communique read.
“The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) should establish the Innovation-for-Import-Substitution Labs (IIS-Labs) in the 6 geopolitical zones, co-managed by universities, to produce local alternatives to tariff-impacted imports.
“The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) should create a one-stop digital platform for exporters and SMEs to seamlessly access permits, tariff updates, and incentive applications without bureaucratic delays. This should be complemented by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) through the provision of 5-year tax holidays for new entrants in high-impact export sectors such as renewable energy, food processing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.”
Discussants at the event include Dr. Shukurat Bello, Associate Professor of Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Bayero University, Kano; Dr. Adams Adeiza, Associate Professor at Sunway Business School; Dr. Ibrahim Ridwan of the European University of Lefke and INTI International University, Malaysia.
The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Lukman Raimi of the Department of Business Administration, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
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