Beefing up border security: CAMTEL recommits to provide Customs posts with new generation connectivity.

The announcement was made by the Director General of Customs, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga. The development follows a meeting held Friday March 15 in Yaounde.

It was CAMTEL’s General Manager, Judith Yah Sunday Epse Achidi, who played host to the Customs chief.

According to information gathered, optical fibre backbone coverage was at the front burner of discussions during the audience.

Since 2010, the two public administrations have been working in a partnership notably with the implementation of a Customs MPLS interconnection network. 

The network has continued to be deployed in all regions, with a total of 35 sites interconnected by 2019. 

Speaking shortly after Friday’s audience, Customs boss, Edwin Fongod, said the visit was to thank CAMTEL for the support offered so far.

"For us, dematerialisation at Customs depends on a good communications network. With CAMTEL, we think we are going to continue moving forward. First of all, we've come to thank CAMTEL for what it's been doing for us. We've also come to ask for more services. We have a lot of sites scattered all over the country. We need to find a way to extend the network to these sites, which are not covered by the Backbone. CAMTEL has promised us a solution within ten days", Fongod said.

For her part, CAMTEL General Manager, Judith Yah Sunday Achidi, described her institution’s partnership with the Customs department as being on a good footing.

"The partnership between CAMTEL and Customs dates back several years. It was a question of reviewing what problems exist within this collaboration. What can CAMTEL do to improve the quality of service it provides to Customs, and what are the prospects for connecting more Customs sites. We're starting off on a very good footing, and we're proud to be a partner that responds to the concerns of Cameroon Customs,” she recalled. 

Having quality communications network is an essential element for Cameroon Customs. Since 2021, under the auspices of the Customs Surveillance Forum, the administration has strengthened its border surveillance systems.

Tightening border control

It should be recalled that a strategy which is in line with the "Fragile Borders" research program was launched in 2016 by the World Customs Organisation.

It is dedicated to the role of Customs in border areas affected by armed violence and in post-conflict situations.

Initially focused on African countries, in particular, the Sahel and East Africa, then extended to the North Africa, Near and Middle East Region, the research program extends the notion of security to its economic and fiscal dimensions, beyond technical responses to terrorist risk.

It looks more broadly at the role of customs in the relationship between security and the border economy, cross-border trade and taxation practices, competition between states and non-state armed groups in fragile zones, and the restoration of administration in post-conflict situations.

Reality in Cameroon

In Cameroon, there are a number of areas witnessing tension due to internal socio-political crises, as well as insecurity and political instability in neighboring countries.

In the East Region, on the border with the Central African Republic, there has been an increase in banditry and insecurity due to the activities of armed gangs. 

In the Far North and North regions, bordering Nigeria and Chad, attacks by members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, are constantly being recorded.

In the North-West and South-West Regions bordering Nigeria, socio-economic activity has been affected by the ongoing armed conflict in the regions.

Added to this, is insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, with an upsurge in maritime piracy.

According to the Directorate General of Customs "this border insecurity has had a number of consequences: the kidnapping of some Customs officials and the demobilization of staff who have abandoned posts in high-risk areas; the restriction of cross-border movements of people and goods with Nigeria, Chad and CAR; the exodus of people who have taken refuge in the Centre and Littoral regions; the increase in border insecurity; and the loss of State revenue".

In the Far North Region, for example, from 2015 to 2017, customs revenues fell to an average of 1.5 billion FCFA, compared with 3.5 billion in 2014, the year the Boko Haram conflict began.

By 2018, the negative impact of the socio-political crisis was already being felt in the North-West region. 

Indeed, from 2014 to 2017, the average level of revenue was 255 million FCFA. This has fallen to an average of 71 million FCFA for the 2018-2020 period. 

In the East Region, 2018-2019 revenues averaged 1.3 billion before dropping to 494 million FCFA (2020-2021).

"Faced with this insecurity on its borders, the State of Cameroon has opted for a response policy based on four pillars: confrontation, containment of the threat, reintegration of the population and rehabilitation of State structures," explained the Directorate General of Customs.