AfCFTA Secretariat and Bergmans Sign US$3.1 Billion Customs Modernisation Deal

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited have signed a 20-year, US$3.1 billion Concession Agreement to implement a major customs modernisation project aimed at making the movement of goods across African borders faster, safer and more predictable.

The AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project will finance and deploy modern digital customs systems and physical border infrastructure across participating AfCFTA State Parties through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The project will support customs administrations to simplify and digitalise procedures, strengthen coordination and improve the movement of goods across borders.

The areas earmarked for implementation include customs digital solutions, secure electronic exchange of customs information, coordinated border management, One Stop Border Posts, modern transit systems and electronic cargo tracking. The project will also cover non-intrusive inspection technology, integrated data centres, multilingual customs portals, risk management systems, data analytics and capacity building.

These interventions are expected to reduce border clearance times, strengthen customs control and safeguard public revenue, while improving supply-chain predictability for manufacturers, exporters, transporters and other businesses operating across African markets. Greater interoperability between national customs systems is also expected to make the movement of goods faster, safer, more transparent and more predictable.

The agreement follows a Memorandum of Understanding concluded between the AfCFTA Secretariat and Bergmans in July 2026, marking the transition from initial cooperation towards implementation of the customs modernisation project. A key objective will be to promote interoperability among customs systems and progressively harmonise border procedures.

The AfCFTA Agreement, which entered into force on 30 May 2019, brings together the 55 Member States of the African Union into a single market of approximately 1.4 billion people, with a combined GDP of about US$3.4 trillion.

Source: The Business & Financial Times (B&FT)

Read more here: B&FT – AfCFTA Secretariat, Bergmans sign US$3.1bn deal to modernise Africa’s Customs Systems