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AfCFTA executes concession agreement with Bergmans Security Consultants to modernize Customs Service across Africa
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, on Thursday formally executed a 20-year, $3.1b Concession Agreement with Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited for the implementation of the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project (ACMP).
The signing ceremony took place at Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja and comes weeks after the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed to transform customs administration and facilitate seamless trade across Africa.
The Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene signed on behalf of the continental body while Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu, Chairman of Bergmans signed for the company.
The project aims to provide the technological backbone required to operationalise key AfCFTA protocols on customs harmonisation and trade facilitation while enabling African customs administrations to improve operational efficiency, safeguard government revenues and accelerate intra-African trade without imposing additional financial burdens on national budgets.
Speaking after the concession was executed, the AfCFTA Secretary General praised Bergmans for the unprecedented changes it has brought to Nigeria’s Customs Service through digitalization and other technology- driven innovations which he said has helped to improve clearance operations speed, reduced time and drastically brought down corruption while revenue inflow has more than tripled.
He said the initiative aligns with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area, regarded as the world’s largest free trade area, adding that already, 50 member countries have keyed into the project, adding that it would support the creation of a single continental market serving approximately 1.3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product estimated at $3.4 trillion.
According to him, the deal was critical a huge milestone in the digital transformation and overall modernization of African trade and customs infrastructure.
He praised Nigerian government and Nigerian Customs Service for engaging Bergmans to showcase their ingenuity, saying it was the great feat they recorded with the Nigerian experience that motivated AfCFTA Secretariat to decide engaging the company to drive the African Customs transformation initiative, adding that all Africans should be proud of Bergmans.
The Chairman of Bergmans, Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu said with the execution of the Concession, the company was good to go and ready to invest $3.1 billion, saying among its obligations was the deployment of continent-wide digital and physical customs infrastructure designed to modernize Customs procedures, improve trade corridors and simplify the cross-border movement of goods among AfCFTA State Parties.
He said the Nigerian project has achieved significant success and gained international recognition, serving as a model for customs modernisation across the African continent., adding that with the concession, Bergmans would introduce advanced Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology, integrated data centres and multilingual customs portals that will support the continent’s official languages.
The Enugu State Government has suspended His Royal Majesty, Igwe Eze William Ezugwu, the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Ogbozalla Opi Autonomous Community, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state.
The state government accused Igwe Ezugwu of violating provisions of the state’s Traditional Rulers Law.
In a letter of suspension dated September 24, the Enugu State Government cited his alleged failure to constitute his cabinet, failure to establish a Town Union governing body, and persistent conduct deemed inconsistent with the laws governing traditional rulers in the state.
The suspension comes barely three weeks after Igwe William Ezugwu received NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi at his palace in Opi, Nsukka LGA, where he reportedly blessed Obi’s presidential ambition.
The Deputy Commander of Operation Rainbow, CSP (Chief Superintendent of Police) Dennis David Babale, has been killed after gunmen suspected to be Fulani Bandits ambushed personnel of the security outfit along the Bokkos-Barkin Ladi road in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Operation Rainbow is a State-backed community security and intelligence-gathering outfit in Plateau State, Nigeria, originally established in 2010 under former Governor Jonah Jang and recently revamped by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to combat rural violence and beef up grassroots security.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 4:06 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 when the personnel, travelling in a Toyota Hilux vehicle, came under attack by unidentified gunmen.
Troops of Sector 4, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), responded to a distress report and moved to the location of the attack.
Sources told reporters that Babale sustained gunshot wounds during the ambush and was evacuated to the General Hospital, Barkin Ladi, for medical attention.
Following the attack, troops, working alongside personnel of other security agencies, launched offensive operations and a manhunt for the assailants within the general area.
Security forces have intensified efforts to track the attackers and prevent further attacks along the route.
Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the World Meteorological Organization, Prof. Charles Anosike and other Chief Executive Officers of similar agencies across the world, have concluded a one week high level dialogue on Climate Science Information for Climate Finance and the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange (SOFE) in Beijing, China.
The event which was hosted by World Meteorological Organization (WMO), took place from September 14 to 18, 2026 and featured discussions on: strengthening the role and leadership development of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in mobilizing climate finance; aligning scientific and technical capabilities with risk-informed, people-centred early warning systems; shifting from technical assistance to sustainable investments by expanding practical cooperation between meteorological frameworks and multilateral financing entities; and support to NMHSs leadership on strengthening strategic thinking and fostering productive partnerships.
Held back-to-back with the High-level dialogue was the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange to Fujian Province for first-hand exposure to the implementation of Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) platform – China’s AI-driven meteorological early warning solution in support of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative and disaster risk reduction practices through technical exchanges, field visits and peer learning.
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