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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Nigeria's PPP model now powering Africa's trade, ICRC DG

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Nigeria's electronic customs modernization model has been adopted by the African Continental Free Trade Area as a template for a $3.1 billion continental project.
  • This indigenous solution, developed for the Nigeria Customs Service, is expected to support trade across approximately 50 African countries.
  • The adoption validates Nigeria's public-private partnership framework and positions the country as an exporter of technological solutions.

Nigeria's homegrown customs modernization model is set to be exported across Africa, following its adoption by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the template for a significant continental project. The country's electronic customs system will now underpin a $3.1 billion initiative aimed at streamlining trade across approximately 50 African nations.

This development marks a substantial validation of Nigeria's public-private partnership (PPP) framework. The indigenous solution, initially developed for the Nigeria Customs Service, is now poised to enhance trade efficiency for a market encompassing about 1.3 billion people. The AfCFTA Secretariat recently formalized this by signing a 20-year concession agreement worth $3.1 billion with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, the parent company of the Trade Modernisation Project.

Nigeria’s Public-Private Partnership model is blazing a trail for Africa’s trade future, with a home-grown, indigenously built solution now serving as the template for a $3.1 bn continental customs modernisation drive under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

— Dr Jobson Oseodion EwalefohReacting to the adoption of Nigeria's Customs Modernisation Project as the model for the continental initiative.

Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, Director-General of Nigeria's Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), highlighted the achievement, stating, "Nigeria’s Public-Private Partnership model is blazing a trail for Africa’s trade future." He emphasized that this is not merely about adopting technology but embracing a "Nigerian idea, built by Nigerians, proven on Nigerian soil, and now trusted to carry the trade ambitions of an entire continent." Ewalefoh pointed to the success of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, developed under a PPP, as central to the Nigeria Customs Service's digital transformation.

The AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, cited Nigeria's progress in customs administration as a key factor in the continental body's decision. He noted that the success recorded in Nigeria's customs modernization program inspired confidence for replicating the model across Africa. This initiative underscores the potential of well-structured PPPs to deliver large-scale projects without placing the entire financial burden on government, positioning Nigeria as a technological exporter within the continent.

Africa is not just adopting a piece of technology. Africa is adopting a Nigerian idea, built by Nigerians, proven on Nigerian soil, and now trusted to carry the trade ambitions of an entire continent. This is what PPPs, properly structured and properly regulated, can deliver.

— Dr Jobson Oseodion EwalefohHighlighting the significance of the Nigerian model's adoption for Africa.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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