West Customs sector boss puts excellent performance in context.

He was speaking to journalists on the occasion of the launching of the 2026 edition of International Customs Day, that held at the Tocket Stadium in Bafoussam on January 19.

He said customs revenue had witnessed a tremendous forward leap within the last five years, which culminates with his assumption of duty in that Customs Sector.

Specifically, he stated that the sector raised barely 49,114 million FCFA as at the end of 2020. This amount rose significantly to 272,110 million FCFA by the end of 2021. Then to 390,640 million FCFA by the end of 2022. 

The upward swing continued and hit 794,731 million FCFA by the end of 2023; and hitting 959,822 million FCFA by the end of 2924.

The amount of revenue collected witnessed a slight drop to 913,873 million FCFA, by the end of 2025. The sector boss attributed the drop to post-election violence that disrupted customs activities. 

Apart from this, he also blamed the difficult international business climate, which Oumarou said, results in frequent fluctuations in commodity prices, which Cameroon exports into international markets. He also cited lack of logistics, equipment and material to enable them perform their duties to the best of their ability. 

The Sector boss also attempted a classification of contributions made by the different divisional teams in the region. He began by putting the Higher Echelon Principal Customs Office of Bafoussam at the top, followed by the Secondary Customs Collation Office in Bafoussam and the Magba Secondary Customs Office in that order of financial contribution.

These top revenue collectors are followed by the Active Subdivision Customs Office of Bafoussam; the Customs Mobile Brigade of the Bafoussam I Council; and the Mobile Brigades of Bafoussam II and III Subdivisions.

They are followed immediately by the Mobile Brigade of Dschang; the Mobile Brigade of Mbouda and the Mobile Brigade of Foumban-Magba.

The Sector boss told journalists that the West Customs Sector is effectively present in all the eight Divisions that make up the West Region – Mifi, Bamboutos, Upper Nkam, Menoua, Nde, Upper Plateau, Noun and Koung-Khi.

Oumarou praised his hierarchy for making the success story of his sector possible, stressing that the hierarchy had continued to introduce innovative measures that do not only ease field work, but make revenues collected more secure and accountability less cumbersome.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3680 of Wednesday January 21, 2026