Tinubu commends Nigerian innovation as AfCFTA adopts Customs modernisation model.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed the growing continental recognition of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) modernisation programme, describing it as a validation of Nigeria’s capacity to develop indigenous solutions capable of transforming trade and customs administration across Africa.

The President also commended Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited following the selection of its subsidiary, AfriTrade CMP Limited, to implement a 20-year, multi-billion-dollar African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Customs Modernisation Project.

The project is expected to deploy digital and physical infrastructure to improve customs processes, cargo tracking, border management and trade-data exchange across participating African countries.

Tinubu’s commendation was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The President noted that the development was particularly significant because another subsidiary of the Nigerian-owned company, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, is already implementing Nigeria’s homegrown customs modernisation programme in partnership with the NCS.

According to him, the recognition demonstrates that solutions developed and tested in Nigeria are increasingly providing 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,” Tinubu said.

He added that Nigerian institutions and businesses possessed the expertise to develop the technology and infrastructure needed to make the African single market more efficient and competitive.

“Under our Nigeria First policy, we will continue to create opportunities for capable Nigerian businesses to compete at home, across Africa and globally,” the President said.

Tinubu commended Bergmans, AfriTrade CMP Limited, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, the NCS, Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Nigerian professionals involved in the modernisation programme for earning continental confidence.

The President further said the recognition reflected the progress recorded in the transformation of the NCS under the leadership of Adeniyi, stressing that the growing adoption of Nigerian-developed customs technologies demonstrated the importance of sustained investment in digital transformation, institutional capacity and indigenous expertise.

The development followed a visit by the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, to the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, where he inspected the Trade Modernisation Project in operation.

Mene was accompanied by members of the Senate Committee on Customs, led by its Chairman, Senator Jibrin Isah, after the conclusion of a two-day retreat on customs modernisation and reforms.

During the visit, Mene described B’Odogwu, Nigeria’s indigenous Unified Customs Management System, as a model with potential for adoption across the continent.

He disclosed that while non-African companies had offered similar solutions, AfCFTA opted for an African solution, underscoring the growing role of African expertise, innovation and enterprise in shaping the continent’s trade architecture.

Similarly, Senator Isah expressed the committee’s support for the modernisation programme after witnessing the systems in operation, saying members had become ambassadors of the initiative.

B’Odogwu, which was first piloted in October 2024, has become a major component of the NCS modernisation programme, supporting the digitalisation of customs processes, cargo tracking, data infrastructure, surveillance, risk management and non-intrusive inspection.

The modernisation programme is also being integrated with the National Single Window, launched in March 2026 as a single digital gateway for cross-border trade processes.

The integration is expected to further strengthen Nigeria’s digital trade infrastructure while promoting faster, more transparent and efficient customs administration.

The continental recognition of Nigeria’s customs modernisation model is seen as a significant boost to the country’s efforts to position its indigenous technology and expertise as solutions for Africa’s expanding single market.