The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has officially partnered with Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited (BSCS) to launch a significant customs modernization initiative. This collaboration involves a 20-year Concession for the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project (ACMP), a move designed to establish Africa's first interoperable trade platform.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Lagos on 2026-07-01, during the Digital Trade Forum 2026. Bashir Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), described this agreement as a crucial step towards achieving genuine trade facilitation under the AfCFTA framework.
Adeniyi explained that the current landscape sees African nations operating diverse customs management systems, which complicates cross-border trade. He cited Nigeria's progression from Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) to NICIS, and now to B’Odogwu, its indigenous customs processing platform. Other countries like Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, and Morocco utilize different systems.
The new agreement aims to achieve interoperability, enabling these disparate systems to communicate seamlessly. Once implemented, customs declarations made in one African country will be recognized and processed electronically in another, thereby eliminating duplication and significantly reducing delays at border crossings.
Adeniyi emphasized the historical significance of the agreement, stating, “If you make a declaration in Ghana, it should not be difficult for the Nigerian Customs system to process it as an import. This is what the agreement means, and it is truly historic.” He noted that despite decades of discussions on trade facilitation in Africa, the lack of digital integration among customs administrations has remained a major bottleneck.
Addressing concerns about revenue generation, Adeniyi dismissed the notion that trade facilitation and customs revenue are conflicting priorities. He asserted that streamlining border procedures would ultimately boost government earnings. “If we get trade facilitation right, we reduce delays, lower the cost and time of doing business, and businesses will clear more goods faster. Ultimately, higher trade volumes will translate into increased customs revenue,” he explained.
The Customs boss expressed confidence that the new platform would integrate smoothly with Nigeria’s ongoing National Single Window initiative and similar digital trade systems being introduced across Africa. He added that the immediate focus includes deploying the platform, raising awareness among stakeholders, and training customs personnel in participating countries. Adeniyi is optimistic that significant interoperability could be achieved within one year.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, affirmed that the partnership directly supports the continental trade bloc’s goal of simplifying trade for African businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He revealed that the Secretariat had closely monitored Nigeria’s customs modernization program, considering it a successful model suitable for replication across the continent.
“We have been observing the excellent work done in Nigeria in digitising customs operations, improving revenue collection and modernising border management. The continent has much to gain from this model,” Mene stated. He further explained that the MoU initiates a broader effort to establish a modern, digital, and interoperable customs ecosystem capable of supporting Africa’s single market ambitions.
Mene stressed that interoperability would have the greatest impact on SMEs, informal traders, and smallholder farmers, who often bear the highest costs associated with border delays. He cited the Ghana-Togo border as an example where physical one-stop border posts exist but still lack digital interoperability, forcing traders to undergo multiple customs procedures.
For Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited (BSCS), the agreement signifies the export of a homegrown Nigerian technology across Africa. Saleh Ahmadu, Chairman of BSCS, highlighted that the company has dedicated the past five years to developing and deploying customs technology in Nigeria, demonstrating that locally developed solutions can effectively address Africa’s trade challenges.
“Our system was built in Nigeria, for Africa. AfCFTA evaluated different international solutions but found that our platform was better suited to African realities,” Ahmadu said. He disclosed that the implementation would commence in at least six African countries before expanding throughout the continent, with the ultimate goal of building one seamless African customs platform.
Adeniyi also described the partnership as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s technology ecosystem, noting that previous customs modernization programs often relied on foreign technology providers who frequently fell short of their commitments. “For decades, we depended on foreign service providers for customs modernisation. Today, we have a Nigerian company that has developed a working solution, and Africa is recognising its value,” he concluded.
Stakeholders believe that widespread adoption of interoperable digital platforms could remove one of the biggest obstacles to implementing the AfCFTA, enabling customs administrations across the continent to exchange data in real time, simplify documentation, and accelerate cargo clearance. This partnership is expected to lay the digital foundation needed to unlock faster cross-border commerce, lower transaction costs, and deepen intra-African trade under the AfCFTA.
