Egypt hands AfCFTA chair to Nigeria’s Jumoke Oduwole, backing $3.1bn customs infrastructure PPP across member states

Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, assumed the chairmanship of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers’ Bureau during the 18th meeting held in Abuja in mid-2026, succeeding Egypt under the agreement’s rotating chairmanship system. According to officials, the handover was part of a strategic transition to focus on implementation and measurable outcomes, including backing a $3.1 billion customs infrastructure public-private partnership across member states.

The handover ceremony took place during the 18th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers in Abuja on June 30, 2026, where Dr. Jumoke Oduwole formally took her oath of office and received the symbolic “change of baton” from her Egyptian counterpart, Dr. Mohammed Farid Saleh, according to official statements from the AfCFTA Council of Ministers. Nigeria’s assumption of the chairmanship places it “in charge of all AfCFTA institutional committees,” underscoring the central role the country will play in the governance and implementation of the continental trade agreement, officials said.

The AfCFTA Secretariat signed a 20-year, $3.1 billion concession agreement with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited for the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project (ACMP).

Oduwole outlined a results-oriented agenda focused on accelerating implementation, strengthening regional value chains, unlocking digital trade, and expanding access to finance for women-led enterprises, youth entrepreneurs, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), according to official communications from the Council. Ministers at the Abuja meeting agreed to place implementation and measurable outcomes at the center of AfCFTA’s next phase, aligning with Nigeria’s emphasis on moving “decisively from commitments to action,” the records show.

Coinciding with Nigeria’s chairmanship, the AfCFTA Secretariat signed a 20-year, $3.1 billion concession agreement with Bergmans Security Consultants and Supplies Limited for the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project (ACMP). The agreement, announced from Accra on August 7, 2026, and signed in Abuja around August 6–7, establishes a public-private partnership under which Bergmans will finance, deploy, and operate modern customs digital and physical border infrastructure across about 50 AfCFTA member countries, according to AfCFTA official releases and Reuters reporting. The project aims to modernize and harmonize customs processes, improve operational efficiency, safeguard government revenues, and boost intra-African trade without imposing additional fiscal burdens on national budgets.

The customs modernization PPP is modeled on Nigeria’s domestic Customs Modernisation Project, which is valued at approximately $3.2 billion. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) of Nigeria confirmed that the AfCFTA secretariat decided to replicate the PPP framework “developed, structured and regulated in Nigeria” for the continental rollout. Dr. Jobson Ewalefoh, ICRC Director-General, stated that Nigeria’s digital-first overhaul—including advanced scanning, automated risk management, and integrated revenue assurance—is being adapted for use across AfCFTA member states. This approach is expected to serve a market of about 1.3 billion people, officials said.

Egypt’s role as outgoing chair included presiding over a period during which AfCFTA advanced critical protocols on customs harmonization and trade facilitation, providing the policy foundation for the PPP now being operationalized. Official statements from the Abuja meeting highlighted that ministers, including representatives from Egypt, agreed to prioritize the delivery of a single African market through initiatives such as the customs infrastructure PPP. The transition from Egypt to Nigeria was described in Council communications as a “deliberate strategic choice” to accelerate large-scale implementation projects under Nigeria’s leadership.

The AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project is one of the largest continent-wide customs infrastructure programs undertaken through a PPP. Bergmans, as concessionaire, is obligated to invest the full $3.1 billion and deploy continent-wide digital and physical customs infrastructure designed to modernize customs procedures, improve trade corridors, and simplify cross-border movement of goods. AfCFTA officials and participating governments expect the project to reduce revenue leakages, improve customs compliance, and significantly increase intra-African trade volumes, supporting the broader goal of building a single African market.

Nigeria’s chairmanship under Oduwole places the country at the center of institutional efforts to coordinate implementation, including aligning national customs administrations with the new AfCFTA-level systems, according to official sources. The PPP’s design, based on Nigeria’s model, is presented by ICRC and AfCFTA sources as a replicable framework for future regional infrastructure projects, demonstrating how long-term concessions can mobilize private investment for continent-wide public goods.

Egypt had assumed the AfCFTA chairmanship from Tanzania in April 2025 before transferring it to Nigeria in mid-2026, as part of the agreement’s rotating chairmanship system confirmed by Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade. The handover reflects a strategic transition within AfCFTA’s institutional framework to focus on implementation and measurable outcomes in the next phase of the agreement’s work, officials said.