Nigeria’s home-grown customs modernisation model is being taken to the continental stage after the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat selected the Nigerian experience as the basis for a proposed $3.1bn customs modernisation project across Africa.
The development has been described by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission as a major endorsement of Nigeria’s public-private partnership model and the country’s growing capacity to develop technology for African markets.
ICRC Director-General, Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, said in Abuja that the development showed Nigeria could move beyond being a consumer of imported technology and become an exporter of indigenous solutions.
“Africa is not just adopting a piece of technology. Africa is adopting a Nigerian idea, built by Nigerians, proven on Nigerian soil, and now trusted to carry the trade ambitions of an entire continent,” Ewalefoh said.
The AfCFTA Secretariat and Nigerian technology firm Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited signed an agreement in Lagos in July for the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project.
The 20-year initiative, estimated at $3.1bn, is expected to connect customs administrations, harmonise border procedures and facilitate the movement of goods across African markets.
The first phase is expected to begin in at least six African countries before the system is expanded across the continent.
Bergmans is the parent company of Trade Modernisation Project Limited, the concessionaire involved in Nigeria’s Customs Modernisation Project.
For Nigeria, the significance lies in the technology underpinning the continental initiative.
The Nigeria Customs Service has been deploying B’Odogwu, its Unified Customs Management System, as part of its transition towards a paperless and digitally integrated customs administration.
The platform is designed to simplify customs processing, improve transparency and give traders more efficient access to digital services.
The Federal Government and Trade Modernisation Project signed a 20-year concession agreement in May 2022 for the implementation of a paperless customs system in Nigeria.
The project was structured under a public-private partnership with regulatory oversight from the ICRC and was intended to automate customs processes, reduce clearance delays and strengthen revenue collection.
Ewalefoh said the Nigerian experience showed that properly structured PPPs could enable governments to deliver major infrastructure and technology projects without carrying the entire financial burden.
He also credited Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, with supporting the nationwide deployment of B’Odogwu and strengthening the relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and the private concessionaire.
The ICRC boss said one of the biggest lessons from the project was that resistance to change could pose a greater obstacle to reform than funding or technology.
“The biggest challenge is not ideas, the biggest challenge is not funding, the biggest challenge is resistance to change,” he said.
The Nigeria Customs Service has reported improvements linked to B’Odogwu. At the PTML Command in Lagos, Customs reported a 34.1 per cent increase in revenue in the first half of 2025, while the command said the platform had generated ₦301.8bn from its rollout there.
At the continental level, the challenge is considerably larger.
The AfCFTA is designed to establish a single African market and reduce barriers to the movement of goods and services. As of July 2026, 49 of the 54 signatories had deposited their instruments of ratification.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene has described the Nigerian experience as evidence of how technology can transform customs administration and enable national systems to communicate with one another.
The continental project is expected to incorporate digital customs infrastructure, integrated data centres, non-intrusive inspection technology and multilingual customs portals.
The wider objective is to reduce border delays, cut the cost of doing business and make cross-border trade more predictable for businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises.
For Nigeria, the development carries significance beyond the customs sector.
It offers a rare example of a locally developed public-private partnership solution moving from a national reform programme into a continental project.
If successfully implemented, the initiative could place Nigerian engineering, technology and PPP expertise at the heart of Africa’s drive towards a more integrated trading system.
