The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at modernising customs operations and strengthening cross-border trade across the African continent.
The three organisations formalised the collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos on Wednesday, marking a significant step towards creating a unified and interoperable customs system that will simplify trade procedures among African countries.
Under the agreement, customs platforms across participating countries will be connected, enabling seamless exchange of trade information and faster processing of import and export documentation at border points. The initiative is expected to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, lower the cost of doing business and support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, described the partnership as a landmark development that would transform customs administration and trade facilitation across Africa.
“What this would help us to achieve is that it would help our systems to be able to speak to themselves, so that when you make declarations in Ghana, or anywhere, it should not be difficult for the Nigerian customs system to process it. This is actually a landmark and historic agreement,” Adeniyi stated.
He explained that integrating customs systems would not only improve efficiency at border posts but also encourage legitimate trade by eliminating unnecessary delays and reducing operational costs for businesses.
“If we get trade facilitation right, it helps us to remove delays and reduce the cost and time of doing business. We believe it will help people to import more, and then our revenue will increase,” he added.
“We believe that the partnership with Bergman Security will enable us to reach our objective of creating a continental, modern, interoperable customs system that will ensure that all our economic operators benefit from an expanded market,” Mene stated.
According to him, the initiative will particularly benefit traders by making customs procedures more efficient, transparent and predictable, while opening wider market opportunities for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises operating across African borders.
Chairman of Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, Saleh Ahmadu, said the company would leverage the technology already deployed within Nigeria's customs system to develop a continental platform capable of integrating customs operations across Africa.
“The goal is to build an African platform for Africa based on the model we have here in Nigeria, which will be interoperable with all the African countries,” Ahmadu disclosed.
He revealed that implementation of the initiative would commence with six African countries before being gradually expanded across the continent as more nations come on board.
The partnership is expected to support the broader objectives of the AfCFTA by promoting faster movement of goods, improving customs efficiency, enhancing revenue collection and creating a more integrated African market through digital trade infrastructure.