The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Nigerian technology firm, Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited, to implement a Concession for the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project (ACMP) to create an interoperable system to boost the $ 3.4 trillion trade across Africa.

The MoU formed the basis of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement under which Bergmans will be deploying a comprehensive, pan-African digital and physical infrastructure to harmonise customs processes, enhance trade corridors and streamline cross-border movement of goods across all State Parties.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, which took place in Lagos yesterday on the sidelines of the Digital Trade Forum 2026, the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, said the partnership was aimed at simplifying trade, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), through modern digital customs systems.

Mene said the Secretariat had closely monitored Nigeria’s customs modernisation efforts and identified the country’s digital customs model as one capable of being replicated across the continent.

“We have observed the excellent work being done in Nigeria in modernising customs systems and optimising revenue collection through digital platforms. The continent has a lot to gain from this model,” he said.

He noted that although several African countries have established one-stop border posts, many still suffer delays because their customs systems cannot communicate with one another.

According to him, the MoU would support the creation of a modern, continental customs platform that enables interoperability among member states, expands market access and lowers the cost of doing business.

Comptroller General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, said the agreement would enable customs platforms used by different African countries to communicate seamlessly, making cross-border trade faster, easier and more efficient.

According to Adeniyi, customs administrations across the continent currently operate different digital platforms for processing declarations, creating bottlenecks in trade.

“The essence of this agreement is to achieve interoperability of our systems so that customs platforms across Africa can speak to one another. When declarations are made in Ghana or any other country, the Nigerian customs system should be able to process them seamlessly as imports while exports are equally recognised across borders,” he said.

The Customs boss added that improved trade facilitation would also translate into increased government revenue through higher compliance and increased trade volumes.

He also expressed confidence that the initiative would integrate smoothly with countries implementing National Single Window platforms, stressing that interoperability would simplify customs declarations and other border procedures.

Adeniyi also praised the emergence of a Nigerian company as a technology partner for customs modernisation across Africa, noting that previous modernisation efforts had largely depended on foreign service providers.

Looking ahead, Adeniyi said there would be significant progress within the next year, including simplified customs procedures similar to the one-stop border operations already being implemented in parts of Southern Africa.

Chairman of Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, Saleh Ahmadu, said the company had spent the past five years developing and deploying a home-grown customs modernisation platform in Nigeria before attracting the interest of the AfCFTA Secretariat.

He said the new continental platform would be built using the Nigerian model and would initially be deployed in at least six African countries.

He said once fully operational, the project is expected to service millions of users, significantly reducing clearance times, eliminating regulatory fragmentation, and securing trade revenue through automated, transparent, and digital-first systems.

According to him, the project will deploy advanced Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology, integrated Data Centres, and multilingual Customs portals that support the continent’s official languages, ensuring inclusivity and ease of use for stakeholders across the continent.