Nigeria's Customs Model Powers $3.1B AfCFTA Project

Nigeria's electronic customs system has been adopted by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the template for a $3.1 billion continental customs modernization project. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) announced this development in Abuja on Tuesday, highlighting it as a significant validation of Nigeria's public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

The indigenous solution, initially developed for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), is set to enhance trade across approximately 50 African nations, serving a single market of 1.3 billion people. The AfCFTA Secretariat signed a 20-year concession agreement with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, the parent company of Trade Modernization Project (TMP), to implement this initiative.

Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, the ICRC Director-General, stated that this initiative demonstrates Nigeria's capacity to transition from a technology consumer to an exporter of high-value innovation. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene expressed confidence in replicating Nigeria's customs modernization framework across Africa.