(Business in Cameroon) – The Cameroon Customs Department reports having recovered more than 3 billion FCFA from litigation cases over the past year. The figures were presented during the 209th session of the Dispute Approval Committee held on October 16, 2025, chaired by Director General Fongod Edwin Nuvaga.
Between September 18 and October 15, 2025, the technical secretariat handled 675 litigation files. According to official data, evaded duties recovered amounted to 1,748,374,260 FCFA, while fines reached 1,821,306,280 FCFA. These amounts contribute to the cumulative total for the 2025 fiscal year, which includes results from nine sessions held to date.
Customs data indicate increases in all key indicators compared to the 2024 fiscal year. Evaded duties recovered rose by 87%, from 8,440,687,111 FCFA in 2024 to 15,785,065,465 FCFA in 2025. Fines increased by 99%, from 11,631,093,809 FCFA to 23,146,636,514 FCFA. The number of litigation cases rose from 5,775 to 6,597, representing growth of 14.2%.
Central services accounted for 70.91% of recovered duties, 69.12% of fines, and 10.22% of total cases. Ten regional customs sectors took part in the latest session, up from eight in 2024. These include Littoral 1, Littoral 2, South 2, Adamawa, Centre, East, Far North, North, West, and South West. Littoral 2 participated in all nine sessions organized in 2025, following 15 sessions in 2023 and 17 in 2024. South 2 and North were also represented in each session of the year.
The main types of offenses recorded include undeclared imports (140 cases), false declarations of value (130 cases), and smuggling (75 cases). Combined infractions involving undeclared or falsely valued goods and failure to clear import files generated 700,971,512 FCFA in evaded duties and 400,000,000 FCFA in fines. Undeclared imports alone accounted for 362,704,078 FCFA in evaded duties and 185,671,337 FCFA in fines. False declarations of value accounted for 224,346,958 FCFA in evaded duties. Offenses related to undeclared exports resulted in fines of 228,610,000 FCFA.
Customs also reported ongoing examination of repeat offenders among brokers and companies. The objective, according to officials, is to improve the targeting of high-risk operations.
The administration announced that preparatory work for the 2026 Finance Law is under way and that discussions with other agencies aim to strengthen control measures. During the period from October 13 to 17, 2025, Jean Owona Effa, Assistant Study Officer for International Cooperation and Tax Bases, presented a report on customs valuation within the CEMAC zone. The report highlighted inconsistencies in goods pricing and proposed measures to improve transaction valuation systems. Owona Effa was also re-elected Vice-President of the Harmonised System Sub-Committee of the World Customs Organization.
According to background data, illicit financial flows (IFFs) linked to trade fraud, tax evasion, and corruption remain a concern. The United Nations estimates that Africa loses about 89 billion US dollars each year, or approximately 3.7% of its GDP, through such mechanisms. For Cameroon, estimated losses exceed 7 billion US dollars annually, or about 4,200 billion FCFA, mainly from oil, timber, and mining exports. Illegal logging alone results in losses of around 33 billion FCFA per year.
Mercy Fosoh
