Nigeria, Cameroon Bilateral Customs Coalition Set to Streamline Mfum-Ekok Trade
Written by Queen Abayomi
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Cameroon Customs Administration have commenced a joint assessment of the Ekok-Mfum One-Stop Border Post (OSBP), in a move aimed at reducing cross-border trade challenges, strengthening border security, and promoting regional economic integration.
The high-level exercise, held on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, was themed “Leveraging the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernisation Project to Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade and Shared Prosperity.” It brought together customs chiefs, technical experts, security agencies, development partners, and local community leaders from both countries.
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Speaking at the event, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, emphasised the long-standing partnership between the two customs administrations. He noted that despite the close geographical relationship between Nigeria and Cameroon, movement across the border remains more difficult than it should be.
“We are not building from nothing. We are taking something that works between the two of us and asking whether it can be made to work for the region and hopefully for our continent,” Adeniyi stated, while acknowledging the support of key partners, including the African Development Bank, ECOWAS, ECCAS, Afreximbank, and the AfCFTA Secretariat.
Adeniyi further disclosed that delegations from both customs administrations recently undertook a study tour of the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe to learn from best practices. He added that technical teams are currently working to finalise a joint operational agreement, which is expected to be signed at the upcoming C-PACT conference.
The Director General of Cameroon Customs, Fongod Nuvaga, described the assessment as the first concrete step towards achieving unified border operations. He called on both sides to prioritise real-time data sharing and joint risk-management systems, allowing cargo and travellers to be processed once instead of being subjected to duplicate checks.
The event concluded with the launch of the Mfum-Ekok Border Modernisation Initiative. The initiative, driven by trade technology experts, is designed to digitise customs processes, improve physical infrastructure, and create new economic opportunities in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
DemocracyNewslineNewspaper September 9, 2026
