President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed the reported selection of a Nigerian-owned company to implement a customs modernisation project for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying the development shows that Nigerian technology can serve markets beyond the country.
The State House said on Monday that AfriTrade CMP Limited, a subsidiary of Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited, had been selected for a 20-year project involving digital and physical infrastructure for customs administration across participating African countries.
The government did not disclose the financial value of the project in the statement beyond describing it as multi-billion-dollar.
The announcement comes as Nigeria is still rolling out its own customs digitalisation programme, including B’Odogwu, the Unified Customs Management System developed through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Trade Modernisation Project Limited.
From Nigeria’s ports to the wider African market
The reported AfCFTA project is intended to cover areas including customs processes, cargo tracking, border management and the exchange of trade data between participating countries, according to the State House.
President Tinubu said the Nigerian experience could provide a model for other African countries.
“What has been built and tested in Nigeria is now providing a model for the continent.
This is how African integration should work: Africans building African solutions for African market.
Nigerian institutions and businesses can help build the technology and infrastructure that will make that market work.
Under our Nigeria First policy, we will continue to create opportunities for capable Nigerian businesses to compete at home, across Africa and globally.
I commend Bergmans, AfriTrade CMP Limited, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, the Nigeria Customs Service, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the Nigerian professionals whose work has earned this confidence.”
The President's comments were made after the AfCFTA Secretariat's Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, visited the NCS headquarters in Abuja, where he inspected the customs modernisation system.
The State House said Mr Mene described B’Odogwu as a model that could be considered for wider use in Africa.
It said he also noted that non-African companies had proposed similar systems, but that AfCFTA had chosen an African solution.
Those claims are significant because AfCFTA is intended to reduce barriers to trade between African countries.
A customs system that allows countries to exchange information more efficiently could help reduce some of the administrative obstacles that increase the cost and time involved in moving goods across borders.
But the technology alone cannot remove problems caused by poor infrastructure, inconsistent regulations, corruption or delays at ports and borders.
B’Odogwu is still relatively new
Nigeria's B’Odogwu system was piloted at the Port and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML) command in Lagos in October 2024.
The NCS said at the time that the system was intended to replace its legacy Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System II and support a move towards paperless customs administration.
The Service reported that B’Odogwu processed transactions generating ₦31bn in revenue during its initial pilot period up to December 2024.
By July 2025, the NCS said the PTML command had collected more than ₦301bn through the platform since its rollout and recorded a 34.1% increase in first-half revenue compared with the same period in 2024.
Another digital system is already part of the picture
Nigeria's customs reforms are also being linked to the National Single Window, a separate federal initiative designed to bring trade-related government processes into a common digital environment.
The first phase of the National Single Window went live on 27 March 2026.
It is intended to allow traders to interact with multiple agencies through a unified platform rather than navigating separate systems.
The relationship between the two systems is therefore important.
B’Odogwu is focused on customs management, while the National Single Window is designed to connect agencies involved in import and export procedures.
The Customs Service says the platforms are intended to work within a broader digital trade architecture rather than simply duplicate each other's functions.
For importers, exporters, customs agents and other businesses, the success of the reforms will ultimately be judged by whether they reduce paperwork, shorten clearance times, improve transparency and lower the cost of moving goods.
What is at stake for Nigerian businesses?
If the AfCFTA project proceeds as announced, Nigerian companies could gain an important opportunity to export technology and expertise into other African markets.
That could create revenue and jobs in the technology, logistics, customs consultancy and infrastructure sectors.
It could also strengthen Nigeria's influence over the digital infrastructure supporting the continent's single market.
But a long-term, multi-country customs contract would also raise questions about procurement, financing, performance standards, data protection and accountability.
The State House statement did not provide details of the contract's procurement process, the countries expected to participate, the financial arrangements, or the specific obligations of AfriTrade CMP Limited.
Nigeria's earlier customs modernisation efforts have been accompanied by complaints and operational challenges during the transition to new technology.
The Customs Service itself acknowledged teething problems when B’Odogwu was introduced, while later reporting showed improvements in its use.
