President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hailed the continental recognition of Nigeria’s customs modernisation programme, describing the selection of a Nigerian-owned company for a 20-year, multi-billion-dollar AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project as a major validation of the country’s growing capacity to develop solutions for the African market.
The President, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, commended Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited and its subsidiary, AfriTrade CMP Limited, for securing the landmark project.
According to Tinubu, the development demonstrates that solutions conceived, developed and tested in Nigeria can successfully serve the wider African market.
The AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project is expected to deploy digital and physical infrastructure aimed at transforming customs operations, improving cargo tracking and border management, strengthening trade-data exchange and facilitating smoother movement of goods across participating African countries.
Tinubu said the development reinforces his administration’s commitment to the Nigeria First policy, which seeks to create an environment where capable Nigerian businesses can thrive locally while competing effectively across Africa and the global market.
He commended Bergmans, AfriTrade CMP Limited, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and other Nigerian professionals whose contributions to customs reforms have attracted continental recognition.
The President stressed that African integration must go beyond policy declarations, insisting that Africans must increasingly develop and deploy solutions to address the continent’s challenges and unlock its economic opportunities.
The recognition came as AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, visited the headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja to inspect Nigeria’s customs modernisation programme.
Mene was accompanied by members of the Senate Committee on Customs, led by its Chairman, Senator Jibrin Isah, following the conclusion of the committee’s two-day retreat on customs modernisation and reforms.
During the visit, the AfCFTA chief described B’Odogwu, Nigeria’s indigenous Unified Customs Management System, as a potential model for customs administration across Africa.
Mene noted that while similar technological solutions had been offered by companies outside the continent, the decision to adopt an African-developed solution for the AfCFTA project underscored the importance of African innovation, expertise and homegrown technological capacity.
Senator Jibrin Isah, on his part, said members of the Senate committee had effectively become ambassadors of B’Odogwu after witnessing its operations firsthand.
B’Odogwu, first piloted in October 2024, has emerged as a key component of Nigeria’s ongoing customs transformation.
The system is being deployed alongside cargo-tracking infrastructure, data systems, surveillance mechanisms, risk-management tools and non-intrusive inspection technology to strengthen revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.
The customs modernisation drive is also being integrated with the National Single Window, launched in March 2026 to provide a unified digital gateway for cross-border trade transactions and reduce multiple layers of bureaucracy.
President Tinubu said the success of the AfCFTA would ultimately depend on the ability of African countries to make the movement of goods across borders faster, cheaper and less cumbersome.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to contribute its experience, technology, professional expertise and entrepreneurial capacity towards building a more efficient and interconnected African single market.
The President’s endorsement of the AfCFTA recognition places Nigeria’s customs reform programme at the centre of the continent’s push for digital trade integration, while also showcasing the growing potential of Nigerian companies to export homegrown solutions beyond the country’s borders.
Source:@NTANewsNow
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