AfCFTA Signs $3.1bn Deal for Customs Modernization

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat signed a 20-year concession agreement worth $3.1 billion with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited in Abuja on Thursday. This agreement aims to modernize customs administration across Africa, facilitating intra-African trade, reducing border bottlenecks, and enhancing revenue collection.

The deal is part of the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project, which will utilize advanced digital technologies and customs infrastructure. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene signed on behalf of the AfCFTA, while Saleh Ahmadu, Chairman of Bergmans Security Consultants, signed for the company.

Mene stated that the project would provide the necessary digital infrastructure to implement customs harmonization and trade facilitation protocols, improving efficiency across customs administrations. Approximately 50 African countries have already committed to the initiative.

Ahmadu indicated that Bergmans would finance the entire project and implement advanced technologies to modernize border operations and simplify cross-border trade.