The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has entered into a landmark 20-year, $3.1 billion concession deal with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited to overhaul customs administration across the continent.
The agreement, finalised in Abuja on Thursday following a recent Memorandum of Understanding between both entities, aims to accelerate intra-African commerce, eliminate border delays, and boost national revenue collection without burdening member states financially.
Under the partnership, Bergmans will fully fund the implementation of the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project. The private firm is slated to roll out advanced physical and digital customs infrastructure across participating nations, including state-of-the-art non-intrusive inspection tech, integrated data hubs, and multilingual trade portals designed to support the continent’s official languages.
Around 50 African nations have already signed on to the ambitious scheme, which underpins the AfCFTA’s mandate to establish a single market of 1.3 billion consumers boasting a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion.
Officially launched in January 2021, the 54-nation trade bloc represents the world’s largest free trade zone by country count, established to dismantle tariffs, eliminate non-tariff barriers, and streamline continental trade and investment.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene signed the contract alongside Bergmans Chairman Saleh Ahmadu, praising the deal as a critical milestone for economic integration. Mene highlighted that the initiative was directly modeled on the successful modernisation reforms delivered by Bergmans for the Nigeria Customs Service, which significantly improved cargo clearance times, revenue generation, and transparency.
“The Nigerian experience demonstrated that technology can transform customs administration. The success recorded gave the AfCFTA Secretariat the confidence to replicate the model across the continent,” Mene remarked during the ceremony. “The achievements recorded in Nigeria convinced us that this initiative can deliver similar results across Africa. This is an achievement that should make Nigerians and Africans proud.”
Ahmadu confirmed that the private sector-led investment aims to deliver a unified, world-class trade ecosystem across the continent.
“Our experience in Nigeria has achieved remarkable success and attracted international recognition. It has become a model for customs modernisation across Africa, and we are committed to delivering a world-class customs ecosystem that supports the continent’s economic integration,” Ahmadu stated.