The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has signed a 20-year concession agreement worth $3.1 billion with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited to modernise customs administration across Africa and enhance intra-African trade.
The agreement, signed in Abuja on Thursday, will drive the implementation of the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project, a continent-wide initiative aimed at deploying advanced digital technologies and modern customs infrastructure to improve border management, accelerate cargo clearance and strengthen revenue collection.
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The deal follows a Memorandum of Understanding previously signed by both parties to collaborate on customs reforms across African countries.
AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, said the project would provide the digital backbone needed to implement the trade bloc’s customs harmonisation and trade facilitation agenda. He noted that nearly 50 African countries have already expressed support for the initiative.
According to Mene, the project aligns with AfCFTA’s vision of creating a single African market of 1.3 billion people with a combined Gross Domestic Product of about $3.4 trillion.
He added that the initiative was inspired by the success of the Nigeria Customs Service’s modernisation programme powered by Bergmans’ digital solutions, which improved cargo clearance, enhanced transparency and boosted government revenue.
“The achievements recorded in Nigeria gave the AfCFTA Secretariat the confidence to replicate the model across Africa,” Mene said.
Chairman of Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, Saleh Ahmadu, disclosed that the company would fully finance the $3.1 billion project under the concession arrangement.
He said the project would deploy advanced non-intrusive cargo inspection systems, integrated data centres and multilingual customs platforms to modernise border operations, simplify customs procedures, improve trade corridors and support Africa’s economic integration.
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Since trading commenced in January 2021, the AfCFTA has sought to create the world’s largest free trade area by participating countries.
The Customs Modernisation Project is expected to address persistent challenges such as inefficient border processes, fragmented customs systems and lengthy cargo clearance, making cross-border trade faster, more transparent and more cost-effective across the continent.
