(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s informal imports from Gabon have remained stable over the past three years, ranging between 2.2 billion and 2.4 billion CFA francs from 2022 to 2024, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
Despite this stability, the INS notes a marked change in the composition of the trade. Three product categories now dominate informal cross-border trade: milled rice, edible meats and offal, and fuel and lubricants. Together, these products accounted for nearly 80% of informal imports in 2024, underscoring their strategic role in local supply chains.
Key Informal Imports and Supply Dynamics
Milled rice was the largest category, representing 33.5% of informal trade as a high-demand staple in border regions. It was followed by edible meats and offal at 28.1%, compensating for limited local supply, and fuel and lubricants at 16.5%, supplying informal distribution networks.
Other goods in this trade included fresh or refrigerated fish (8.9%), supplementing local consumption, pasta (5.2%) as an affordable processed product, and onions and other alliums (1.5%), sold mainly in seasonal markets.
These products transit primarily through southern Cameroon’s border areas, where they are rapidly resold to local households and traders. Gabon often supplies everyday goods that are more accessible and cheaper than those sold in Cameroon, sustaining informal trade that remains hard to contain despite customs controls.
This dynamic illustrates the strong economic interdependence between border communities on both sides. While informal trade remains a vital supply channel for rural populations, it also highlights the need for stronger bilateral customs and economic coordination to channel these flows into formal trade circuits and capture greater value for both economies.
Amina Malloum
