Since the early 1990s, Anglophone African countries have embarked on a series of customs administration reforms and
modernization initiatives aimed at enhancing revenue collection, trade facilitation, and supply-chain security. Drawing on evidence
from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, this paper evaluates the scope, drivers and outcomes of measures such as the
creation of semi-autonomous revenue authorities, automation of core processes, risk-based clearance, post-release audit systems,
and human-capital development programmes. While reforms have yielded incremental gains—higher customs-to-GDP ratios,
reduced dwell times, and improved trader satisfaction—they have also revealed persistent gaps when benchmarked against
international good practice. Diagnostic findings indicate that performance remains constrained by fragmented legal frameworks,
limited inter-agency coordination, uneven implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions, and integrity
challenges rooted in weak accountability mechanisms. The paper argues that accelerating modernization requires a shift from
project-based interventions to holistic programmes that integrate customs with broader trade-facilitation and logistics agendas,
strengthen regional cooperation under the AfCFTA, and leverage emerging technologies such as blockchain-enabled single windows

and data analytics. These insights inform recommendations for the design of future reform strategies and the prioritisation of
technical assistance in Anglophone Africa’s outstanding customs-modernisation agenda.