Monitor this situation.

Unsubscribe anytime.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [BUSINESS]

2 clusters · 8 sources · 15 days · First seen 18 days ago · Last updated 4 days ago

Cameroon mobile device customs reform

Overview

The Cameroonian government initiated a customs reform targeting the informal mobile market by requiring the registration of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers into the CAMCIS customs system. To curb tax revenue losses, authorities announced that starting September 1, 2026, mobile phones, tablets, and other terminals not properly cleared through customs would be blocked from all local telecommunications networks.

Following the implementation of these measures, Cameroon reported a significant increase in customs revenue. Between April 1 and early September 2026, the country collected over CFA 1.8 billion in duties and taxes on imported mobile phones, representing a fourfold increase compared to the approximately CFA 400 million collected during the same period the previous year. In the first week of September alone, more than 1,000 phones were reportedly blocked from mobile networks.

Entities

Cameroon Directorate General of Customs · National Council of Cameroonian Shippers · Louis Paul Motaze · Cameroon Ministry of Finance · African Continental Free Trade Area

Timeline

4 days ago

[BUSINESS] 2 sources
Cameroon mobile phone customs reform quadruples revenue
Cameroon's new customs reform for mobile phones has quadrupled revenue to over CFA 1.8 billion in five months through mandatory IMEI registration and network blocking for undeclared devices.
18 days ago

[BUSINESS] 7 sources
Cameroon to block non-customs-cleared mobile phones from September 1
Cameroon will block non-customs-cleared mobile devices from all local networks starting September 1, 2026, as part of a major tax and customs reform effort.

Sources

237online.com · burkina24.com · businessincameroon.com · camerouninfos.com · digitalbusiness.africa · fr.journalducameroun.com · lavoixdelacite.com · menosfios.com