Nigeria’s PPP model now powering Africa’s trade — ICRC DG
August 11, 2026 11:52 am
The Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Jobson Ewalefoh. Photo: ICRC
Nigeria is set to export its home-grown customs modernisation model to the rest of Africa after the African Continental Free Trade Area adopted the country’s electronic customs system as the template for a $3.1bn continental project.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission said the development marked a major validation of Nigeria’s public-private partnership framework, with the indigenous solution developed for the Nigeria Customs Service now expected to support trade across about 50 African countries.
The AfCFTA Secretariat recently signed a 20-year, $3.1bn concession agreement with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited, the parent company of Trade Modernisation Project, to deploy the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project across member states.
The project is expected to support the development of a more integrated customs system for the African single market, which has a population of about 1.3 billion people.
The Director-General of the ICRC, Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday while reacting to the adoption of Nigeria’s Customs Modernisation Project as the model for the continental initiative.
The DG, in a statement issued by the acting Head, Media and Publicity, Ifeanyi Nwoko, said, “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.”
Ewalefoh said the development demonstrated that Nigeria could move beyond being a consumer of technology and become an exporter of indigenous solutions to other African countries.
He said the adoption of the Nigerian model was also evidence that properly structured PPP arrangements could deliver large-scale infrastructure and technology projects without placing the entire financial burden on government.
“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,” he said.
The ICRC chief spoke days after undertaking a monitoring and compliance visit to the Trade Modernisation Project, where he assessed progress on B’Odogwu, the Unified Customs Management System developed under the PPP arrangement.
B’Odogwu has become central to the Nigeria Customs Service’s digital transformation, with the system being rolled out across Customs commands as part of efforts to automate and modernise customs operations.
The AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, had said the Nigerian experience demonstrated how technology could transform customs administration.
According to Mene, the progress recorded under Nigeria’s customs modernisation programme gave the continental body the confidence to replicate the model across Africa.
Ewalefoh said the success was particularly significant because the project was not based on a foreign technology solution but on a system designed and developed by Nigerians.
He said, “It should be our pride that Nigeria can sell something to the rest of Africa. We are not selling a solution built by a foreign company; we are selling an indigenous Nigerian company to the world. Nigerian engineers and Nigerian talent designed and built this solution from scratch.”
The ICRC said the roots of the project could be traced to its formative years when Ewalefoh, before becoming the commission’s Director-General, served as its desk officer.
He said his involvement from the early stages gave him first-hand knowledge of the challenges the project faced before it became operational.
“There was commitment at the highest level. Everybody was there; the project was structured. This is the first project in the history of this country that was executed as a presidential initiative, through a PPP,” Ewalefoh said.
The ICRC boss recalled that the project initially faced considerable doubts over the capacity of its proponents and resistance to the proposed changes in customs administration.
“When this project came on board, there were a lot of doubts. We asked ourselves: will this work, can we trust the capacity of the proponent? But today, what we are seeing is amazing,” he said.
Ewalefoh said the experience had demonstrated that the success of major reforms depended not only on the availability of capital or technology but also on the willingness of institutions to embrace new ways of working.
He described the relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and Trade Modernisation Project as an example of how a PPP could combine public oversight with private-sector expertise.
“There is proper synergy between the grantor and the concessionaire. The result we are seeing today speaks for itself,” he said.
According to him, resistance to change remained one of the biggest obstacles to implementing major reforms in Nigeria.
“The biggest challenge is not ideas, the biggest challenge is not funding, the biggest challenge is resistance to change. For Nigerian Customs to open up, modernize, and leverage private-sector expertise and capital deserves recognition,” he said.
He commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for his role in driving the digital transformation of the service.
Ewalefoh said Adeniyi’s sustained support for the nationwide deployment of B’Odogwu had helped strengthen the credibility of the project and contributed to its emergence as a model for the continental customs modernisation initiative.
The ICRC said the Trade Modernisation Project was part of a wider record of PPP projects showing how private capital could support infrastructure development in Nigeria.
It cited the Lekki Deep Sea Port as another example of a major infrastructure project delivered through a concession arrangement involving private investment.
The commission said such projects were particularly important to Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1tn economy under the Renewed Hope Development Plan 2026-2030, which envisages significant private-sector participation in financing infrastructure and economic development.
Ewalefoh said the customs modernisation project had already contributed to higher customs revenue since its implementation, arguing that the experience demonstrated that PPPs could strengthen government finances rather than become a drain on public resources.
“Every naira of private investment that goes into infrastructure like this is a naira the government does not have to borrow, while the returns, in revenue and efficiency, still accrue to the country,” he said.
He added that the selection of Bergmans for the AfCFTA project represented a significant shift in Nigeria’s position in Africa’s infrastructure market.
“Nigeria is no longer only a market but a supplier of solutions to Africa, the kind of enterprise the $1tn agenda is built on,” Ewalefoh said.
The development also comes weeks after the ICRC boss called for stronger regional cooperation on PPPs at the ECOWAS Infrastructure Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
At the forum, he advocated the establishment of a regional network of national PPP institutions across West Africa to strengthen technical capacity, promote knowledge sharing and harmonise standards for project appraisal and implementation.
Ewalefoh said the move would improve the credibility and bankability of PPP transactions involving multiple countries.
He said the AfCFTA customs project was now providing a practical demonstration of the type of regional cooperation he had advocated.
“What we are seeing with AfCFTA today is the regional cooperation I called for in Abidjan taking concrete shape. One country’s well-regulated PPP can become the infrastructure backbone of an entire continent,” he said.
The ICRC also dismissed concerns that PPP arrangements could displace jobs, saying the experience of the customs modernisation project had shown the opposite.
It said the project had created additional opportunities for Nigerian engineers and technology professionals while improving the efficiency of customs operations and strengthening revenue collection.
The continental deployment of the Nigerian system therefore represents more than a technology transfer. It places Nigeria’s PPP architecture, indigenous engineering capacity and digital customs experience at the centre of efforts to create a more seamless African trading system.
With AfCFTA seeking to deepen intra-African trade through the removal of trade barriers and harmonisation of procedures, the deployment of a common customs modernisation model could become a critical component of the continent’s ambition to operate a more integrated single market.
Damilola Aina is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over five years of experience covering energy, business, investment, infrastructure, and property sectors. He specializes in producing well-researched and insightful reports that inform readers and provide clarity on complex topics. Damilola’s work demonstrates practical newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a strong commitment to accurate and engaging journalism.
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