The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has identified interoperability of customs systems across Africa as a crucial pillar for the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Customs Modernisation Project.
Adeniyi made the remark on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Lagos during the signing of a 20-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Agreement between the AfCFTA Secretariat and Bergmans Security to commence the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project. The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the Digital Trade Forum 2026.
Speaking at the event, the CGC described the absence of harmonised Customs technology across African countries as one of the major obstacles to achieving seamless intra-African trade under the AfCFTA.
“We are indeed delighted because one of the major obstacles that we have faced in this journey of implementation of AfCFTA is the interoperability of our systems.
All the Customs administrations cannot operate at the same level, but when we have interoperability, it becomes easier for us all to hook up to one system and get trade facilitation done,” Adeniyi said.
He also welcomed the appointment of Bergmans Security to lead the project, describing it as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s Customs modernisation efforts and an endorsement of the country’s success in digital customs transformation.
“We are delighted that it is a Nigerian company that has been given this platform to extend what they have been doing to the rest of Africa and for us to achieve trade facilitation and the implementation of the AfCFTA,” he added.
Earlier, the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, explained that the Secretariat adopted Nigeria’s Customs modernisation model after witnessing the country’s success in deploying digital technologies that have significantly improved revenue generation and operational efficiency.
“Today, as we speak, Nigeria is benefiting from the deployment of these technologies. From our point of view, the continent has a lot to gain from the model that was introduced here in Nigeria. That’s why we signed the MOU today.
We believe that the partnership with Bergmans Security will enable us to achieve our objective of creating a continental, modern, interoperable Customs system that will ensure all our economic operators benefit from an expanded market,” Mene stated.
The AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project is expected to deepen customs cooperation among member states through harmonised digital platforms, improve trade facilitation, strengthen revenue collection, and accelerate the full implementation of the AfCFTA by creating a more efficient and integrated continental trading environment.
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