To combat smuggling, Cameroon must first make Trade at its Borders Simpler.

Introduction

Cameroon is committed to stepping up the fight against smuggling in the Far North region. Customs authorities have launched an awareness and enforcement campaign targeting fraudulent imports, particularly beverages, frozen foods, and other sensitive goods. This initiative aims to protect government revenue, consumers, and businesses that comply with the rules. But tightening controls will not be enough if legal trade remains difficult for small traders to access. We believe Cameroon should explore a simplified cross-border trade regime. Such a regime would allow small traders to declare their goods through simpler, faster, and more predictable procedures.

The problem goes beyond controls

The figures illustrate the scale of the phenomenon. According to the National Institute of Statistics, the Far North region accounted for 49.4% of informal imports recorded in Cameroon in 2024, compared to 20.8% for the North region. Together, these two regions accounted for 70.2% of recorded informal imports.

With Nigeria as the main source of these flows, the phenomenon can be explained by a simple economic reality: people in border areas have long engaged in trade, sometimes well before modern administrative borders were established to regulate their activities. It would therefore be wrong to view every informal trader as a fraudster deliberately seeking to circumvent the government.

Unregistered cross-border trade does not always mean that a trader is trying to circumvent the law. Some trade in modest volumes, have limited information, and simply find the official procedures too burdensome relative to the value of their goods.

More inspections are not enough if legal trade remains difficult

Providing agents with additional training to detect illicit goods can improve inspections. But that does not address the root cause of the problem. Imagine a small trader arriving at the border with a low-value shipment. For them, every additional document, every administrative step, every hour of waiting, and every payment represents a real cost. If the official process becomes too time-consuming or too expensive, while an informal channel allows them to sell their goods quickly, the economic incentive is clear.

You cannot bring a trader into the formal economy in the long term simply by telling them they must obey the law. You also do so by making compliance with the law simple, fast, and affordable. It is precisely in this area that Cameroon should experiment with a simplified trade regime for small cross-border traders.

Two forms, one clear procedure

For small volumes and eligible goods, the trader could fill out a limited number of documents at the border: a simplified form to establish the origin of the goods and, if necessary, a form regarding health and safety requirements. The goal is not to abolish inspections, but to simplify their implementation.

Traders would continue to declare their goods. Customs authorities would retain their enforcement powers. Hazardous, prohibited, or non-compliant products would remain subject to the appropriate requirements.

But instead of imposing procedures designed for large-scale commercial operations on small traders, the government could implement a mechanism proportionate to the size of the transactions.

The experience of other African regions is instructive.

In the EAC, the simplified regime includes, in particular, a simplified certificate of origin for small traders and applies to eligible shipments valued up to $2,000. The procedures are designed to reduce complexity and allow traders to complete the formalities directly at the border crossing.

In COMESA, the Simplified Trade Regime is also based on a simplified certificate of origin, a simplified customs document, a common list of eligible products, and a value threshold. Its explicit objective is to formalize informal cross-border trade while reducing the costs and time required to cross the border.

SADC is also working on a simplified regime for small traders, featuring lists of eligible products, value thresholds, simplified customs documents, and simplified certificates of origin.

Sometimes it’s better to charge a small fee than to collect nothing at all

Cameroon could also consider a simplified and predictable tax system for certain small-scale transactions. Rather than burdening small merchants with a host of costs and red tape, the government could apply a clearly stated flat-rate or proportional levy—for example, 1 to 3 percent of the declared value—for goods and transactions covered by the system.

For example, for goods valued at $1,000, a 3% levy would amount to $30. The benefit of such a mechanism is not only fiscal; it is also behavioral. A merchant who knows exactly how much to pay, where to pay, and how long the process will take is much more likely to use official channels. Conversely, when costs are difficult to anticipate and procedures are hard to understand, informality becomes an economic strategy. The exact rate, the goods covered, the value threshold, and the exemptions should obviously be determined following a pilot study and an analysis of customs revenue, health risks, and trade practices at the various border crossings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the fight against smuggling cannot be limited to more inspections, more agents, or harsher penalties. The fight against smuggling must also address the economic reasons that drive certain traders toward informal channels. For Cameroon, especially in the Far North, the priority should be to make legal trade simpler, more predictable, and less costly. A simplified system for small traders could transform part of the informal economy into declared trade, while gradually increasing government revenue. The goal is not to open the borders without controls, but to create a system where complying with the law is easier than circumventing it. Perhaps the best way to combat smuggling is not just to shut down informal routes, but to make the official channel simple enough that traders naturally choose to use it.

Author

Haiwang Djamo, National Coordinator