The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has awarded a 20-year concession worth $3.1 billion to Nigerian firm Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies to modernize customs systems across 50 member states.
Under the agreement, Bergmans will finance and deploy a continent-wide digital platform aimed at transforming customs operations, harmonizing cross-border procedures and providing real-time tracking of cargo moving across African borders.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said outdated manual customs systems have contributed to corruption and significant revenue losses, particularly through practices such as under-invoicing and over-invoicing.
Mene pointed to Nigeria’s customs modernization efforts as an example of the potential impact of digital transformation. According to him, the modernization programme contributed to a 90.4 percent increase in customs revenue.
Bergmans is expected to draw on its experience with Nigeria’s customs modernization programme as it implements the continental project.
The new platform is expected to make cross-border trade more transparent and efficient by reducing reliance on manual processes and improving the ability of customs authorities to monitor cargo movements in real time.
The initiative comes as African countries seek to remove barriers to trade and deepen economic integration under the AfCFTA framework. The agreement is intended to support the bloc’s broader ambition of doubling intra-African trade by 2035.
The 20-year concession represents a major push toward creating more standardized and digitally connected customs systems across the continent, potentially reducing delays at borders while strengthening revenue collection and trade monitoring.
