Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited has signed a 20-year concession agreement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to finance a $3.1 billion customs modernisation project across Africa.
The agreement was signed in Abuja on Thursday. It will deploy digital infrastructure and advanced customs technology to improve trade, reduce border delays and increase revenue collection.
The initiative forms part of the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project, which seeks to strengthen customs administration and support Africa’s free trade agenda. It follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties weeks earlier.
AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, signed for the Secretariat, while Bergmans Chairman, Saleh Ahmadu, signed on behalf of the company.
Mene described the agreement as a major milestone in building a technology-driven trading system across Africa.
He said the project would harmonise customs operations, improve efficiency, strengthen revenue collection and ease the movement of goods without imposing extra financial obligations on member states.
According to Mene, about 50 African countries have already joined the initiative. He said it would support AfCFTA’s vision of creating a single market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of about $3.4 trillion.
He added that the project was inspired by the success of customs reforms implemented by the Nigeria Customs Service through Bergmans’ digital solutions.
Mene said the reforms improved cargo clearance, enhanced transparency and boosted government revenue, making Nigeria a model for the continental project.
Ahmadu said Bergmans would fully finance the $3.1 billion project and deploy digital and physical customs infrastructure across participating countries.
He said the investment would modernise border operations, improve trade corridors and simplify cross-border movement of goods.
The project will also introduce non-intrusive cargo inspection technology, integrated data centres and multilingual customs portals that support Africa’s official languages.
Ahmadu said Bergmans’ achievements in Nigeria have gained international recognition and positioned the company as a model for customs modernisation across Africa.
AfCFTA, which began trading in January 2021, is the world’s largest free trade area by the number of participating countries, bringing together 54 African nations under a single market.
The agreement aims to remove tariffs, eliminate non-tariff barriers and promote the free movement of goods, services and investments across the continent.
Experts say inefficient customs procedures, fragmented border systems and slow cargo clearance remain major obstacles to intra-African trade.
The Customs Modernisation Project is expected to address these challenges by improving information sharing, strengthening risk management, speeding up cargo clearance and lowering the cost of doing business across Africa.
