By 
By Osasome, C.O
Tinubu Endorses 20-Year Concession to Harmonise Customs Systems and Accelerate Intra-African Trade
Nigeria has thrown its weight behind a landmark $3.1 billion African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Customs Modernisation Project, a 20-year concession designed to digitise, modernise and harmonise customs operations across participating African countries.
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The initiative, which is expected to support the broader implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, seeks to address some of the structural barriers that have historically slowed trade across African borders, including manual documentation, fragmented customs procedures, cargo delays, revenue leakages and weak visibility across trade corridors.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed support for the companies behind the project, describing the initiative as transformative and capable of accelerating economic progress and trade integration across the continent.
The President gave the endorsement during a courtesy visit by Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu, a trade, revenue and security strategist whose company, Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, entered into a 20-year concession agreement with the AfCFTA Secretariat for the implementation of the project.
The agreement is being executed through AfriTrade CMP Limited and is expected to support customs modernisation and trade facilitation across the African Continental Free Trade Area.
A Nigerian Blueprint Goes Continental
One of the most significant aspects of the project is its Nigerian foundation.
The continental customs modernisation initiative is modelled around Nigeria’s ongoing trade modernisation framework, including the country’s indigenous approach to digital customs management and public-private partnerships for trade facilitation infrastructure.
The project reflects an attempt to scale a model developed around Nigeria’s customs modernisation experience to a much wider continental market.
At its core, the initiative is designed to create a more integrated digital environment for customs operations, helping participating countries move away from fragmented and predominantly manual processes towards harmonised technology platforms.
The scale is ambitious, potentially connecting customs and trade systems across dozens of African countries within a continental market covering approximately 1.3 billion people and an economy valued at about $3.4 trillion.
For Nigeria, the initiative also presents an opportunity to demonstrate that indigenous companies and locally developed models can play a significant role in delivering infrastructure projects beyond the country’s borders.
Digital Customs Platform to Tackle Africa’s Trade Barriers
The $3.1 billion project is expected to deploy a range of technologies aimed at improving the movement of goods and strengthening customs administration across participating countries.
A central component will be the development of unified digital customs platforms capable of reducing dependence on manual documentation and helping to harmonise customs declarations across borders.
The initiative is also expected to introduce electronic cargo-tracking systems, providing greater visibility into the movement of goods along key African trade corridors.
Real-time tracking could help customs authorities, traders and other stakeholders monitor freight movements more effectively and reduce some of the uncertainty associated with cross-border logistics.
Another component of the project involves the deployment of non-intrusive inspection technologies, including advanced cargo scanning equipment at border locations.
The objective is to improve inspection processes and potentially reduce the time required to clear legitimate cargo, while strengthening the ability of customs authorities to identify prohibited, undervalued or improperly declared goods.
Revenue Protection and Trade Transparency in Focus
Beyond facilitating trade, the customs modernisation project is also expected to strengthen revenue protection.
African governments lose significant amounts of potential revenue through inefficiencies, trade misinvoicing, under-declaration and other weaknesses associated with traditional customs processes.
A more integrated digital system could improve the accuracy and traceability of trade transactions while providing authorities with better tools for monitoring declarations and identifying irregularities.
The project is therefore expected to combine trade facilitation with stronger enforcement capabilities.
By digitising customs processes and improving the exchange of information, participating countries could potentially reduce revenue leakages while creating more predictable procedures for legitimate businesses engaged in cross-border trade.
The challenge, however, will be ensuring that the systems are implemented in a manner that balances security and revenue collection with the need to make African trade faster, cheaper and more competitive.
Why Customs Modernisation Is Critical to AfCFTA
The success of the AfCFTA will depend on more than agreements to reduce tariffs.
Physical borders, customs delays, inconsistent procedures and poor infrastructure remain major obstacles to the free movement of goods across Africa.
A trader moving goods between African countries can still encounter multiple customs processes, documentation requirements and delays that significantly increase the cost of doing business.
The proposed customs modernisation project seeks to address this challenge by creating greater interoperability and harmonisation between participating countries.
If successfully implemented, the initiative could help reduce friction at African borders and support the AfCFTA’s broader objective of expanding intra-African trade.
Efficient customs systems will be particularly important for small and medium-sized businesses, which often lack the financial and administrative resources to navigate complex cross-border procedures.
A more transparent and technology-driven customs environment could therefore help expand participation in continental trade beyond large multinational companies.
Tinubu Highlights Nigeria’s Role in Continental Economic Integration
President Tinubu’s endorsement of the initiative places Nigeria firmly behind efforts to accelerate the operational implementation of the AfCFTA.
According to the project promoters, the President commended Ahmadu and the companies involved for designing and leading the execution of the concession.
The President’s support also reflects Nigeria’s wider interest in strengthening its position within Africa’s evolving digital trade and economic integration landscape.
As Africa moves towards deeper economic integration, countries capable of contributing technology, infrastructure and institutional expertise could assume increasingly important roles in shaping the systems that support continental commerce.
For Nigeria, the project presents an opportunity to export not only technology and services but also experience gained from its own customs and trade modernisation efforts.
Public-Private Partnership Model Gains Continental Relevance
The project is also significant because of its reliance on a long-term concession and public-private partnership model.
Rather than placing the entire burden of financing and implementation on government institutions, the model brings private-sector expertise and capital into the development of strategic trade infrastructure.
The 20-year concession provides the framework for long-term investment in the technology, infrastructure and operational systems required to support customs modernisation.
It also creates a potentially important test case for how African governments and continental institutions can use private-sector partnerships to address infrastructure gaps.
The model could provide lessons for other sectors where large-scale investment is required but public resources remain constrained.
Exporting Nigerian Expertise and Intellectual Capacity
The continental project carries broader implications for Nigeria’s technology and infrastructure ecosystem.
It demonstrates the potential for Nigerian companies to participate in large-scale continental projects, particularly where local expertise has been developed through domestic implementation.
For years, African technology markets have largely depended on systems and infrastructure designed outside the continent.
The AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project, however, could provide an opportunity to showcase Nigerian expertise and home-grown solutions within a strategic continental infrastructure programme.
Beyond the commercial value of the concession, the initiative could create opportunities for Nigerian technology professionals, software developers, cybersecurity experts, logistics specialists and other professionals involved in digital trade infrastructure.
The project’s success could also strengthen confidence in the ability of indigenous companies to develop and manage complex technology systems at scale.
Connecting a Continental Market of 1.3 Billion People
The long-term ambition behind the initiative is substantial.
The AfCFTA represents one of the world’s most ambitious economic integration projects, bringing together African economies into a potentially unified market of approximately 1.3 billion people.
However, the economic benefits of a larger market will remain limited if goods continue to face delays and administrative barriers at national borders.
The customs modernisation initiative is intended to provide part of the digital infrastructure required to make continental trade more efficient.
By improving cargo visibility, harmonising procedures and strengthening information exchange, the project could support the development of more integrated African supply chains.
Manufacturers could potentially source raw materials more easily from neighbouring countries, while exporters could gain access to new markets across the continent.
A Major Test for Africa’s Digital Trade Ambition
While the $3.1 billion project has the potential to transform customs administration across participating countries, implementation will be its biggest test.
The project will require coordination between national governments, customs authorities, regulators, technology providers and private-sector stakeholders operating across multiple jurisdictions.
Differences in laws, customs procedures, digital infrastructure and institutional capacity will also need to be addressed.
Data governance, cybersecurity and the interoperability of national systems are likely to become critical issues as the initiative moves from agreement to implementation.
Nevertheless, the endorsement of the project by Nigeria signals growing confidence in technology as a critical enabler of the AfCFTA.
The initiative represents more than a customs automation programme. It is part of a broader effort to build the digital infrastructure needed to support a more integrated African economy.
Nigeria Positions Itself for a Bigger Role in African Digital Trade
For Nigeria, the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project represents an opportunity to combine economic diplomacy with technology and infrastructure leadership.
The country is not only supporting the project as Africa’s largest economy; it is also seeking to demonstrate the relevance of its domestic experience and indigenous private-sector capabilities to the wider continent.
If successfully implemented, the initiative could help accelerate intra-African trade, improve customs efficiency, strengthen revenue collection and create a more predictable environment for businesses operating across African borders.
More importantly, it could demonstrate how African countries can develop and deploy technology solutions designed to address African challenges.
As the AfCFTA moves from policy ambition towards practical implementation, efficient and digitally connected customs systems will become increasingly important.
The $3.1 billion concession could therefore emerge as a major piece of the infrastructure required to turn Africa’s vision of a more integrated continental market into commercial reality.
