The celebration this year has been placed under the theme : “Customs engaging traditional and new partners with purpose”. This is a strong call launched to the Members of the World Customs Organization to look into their strategies of stakeholder engagement, with the idea of solidifying existing partnerships and forging new alliances in an ever-changing global landscape.
The Cameroonian experience has proved enormously in this domain. In terms of achievements, the Directorate General of Customs has numerous accomplishments, the most notable of which, between 2023 and 2024, are the following :

• The implementation with the Single Window of External Trade of the Single Exit Document and CAMCIS electronic treasury receipts ;
• Implementation of electronic payment with banks ;
• The extension with SGS of the CIVIC customs clearance procedure for imported used vehicles within the land borders of the Adamawa, the North and the Far North Customs Sectors ;
• The signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Central Bank (BEAC) for the control of financial flows connected with international trade ;
• The signing of a memorandum of understanding with the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF) within the context of the fight against terrorism, money laundering and customs fraud ;
• The signing of memoranda of understanding with the Municipalities of Bourha, Fotokol, Kolofata and Mora as part of the establishment of trade centers in border areas ;
• Participation in thematic dinner-debates organized respectively by the European Union and the United States of America chambers of commerce in Cameroon ;
• Strengthening of mechanisms to combat illicit trade, in collaboration with the defense forces, corporate entities and other public administrations ;
• Strengthening the fight against illicit exports of certain sensitive goods such as cocoa and cereals, in collaboration with the defense forces, administrative and municipal authorities ;
• The organization of a capacity building session for managers of credit institutions in terms of clearing bank domiciliation and monitoring financial flows ;
• The organization of a capacity building session for officials of embassies and international organizations on tax and customs facilities ;
• The organization of a training course for the very first batch of customs and transit students at the Customs Training Center ;
• The organization of training sessions for approved customs brokers on the customs measures of the 2023 Finance Law, the new CEMAC Customs Code, the new CEMAC Customs Tariff, the Single Exit Document and CAMCIS procedures ;
• The continued implementation of the Toll-Free phone number of the Directorate General of Customs (8044) and call centers, in view not only of supporting users in their procedures, but also of consolidating ethics, governance and good practices ;
• The implementation of a new website at www.douanes.cmin French and www.custom.cmin English, in order to disseminate regulatory texts, customs procedures and facilities, as well as customs innovations and information among target audiences ;
• The implementation of electronic passenger declarations at the international airports of Douala and Yaoundé-Nsimalen, in liaison with airline companies ;
• The organization of the 13th Edition of the Customs Stakeholders Night in Douala;
• Holding permanent, periodic and occasional working sessions with certain sectors supporting the national economy ;
• The continuation of data exchange with certain partners including: PAD, PAK, SGS, GUCE, APECCAM, CAMRAIL and the Directorate General of Taxation ;
• The continued implementation of performance contracts with the effective participation of 35 economic operators ;
• Strengthening the fight against fraud and smuggling in the importation of used vehicles, in partnership with the Ministry of Transport and the General Directorate of Taxation ;
• The continuation of the granting of customs facilities to businesses and users, as part of the implementation of the Cameroon – European Union, Cameroon – United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreements(EPAs) and the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA) ;
• Holding regular consultations with transport and transit stakeholders, as part of the facilitation and securing of conventional transit of goods to Chad and the Central African Republic, under the NEXUS+ procedure.

Regarding the prospects of this partnership, several levers will be activated in 2024. Without being exhaustive, we can highlight a few:

• Finalizing the operationalization of the status of Authorized Economic Operators (AEO);
• The extension of trade centers to the border town of Kyé-Ossi;
• Implementation of the Customs Stakeholders Night;
• Implementation of performance contracts with shipping companies, for better management of cargo manifests and goods;
• The continuation of the professionalization and accountability of approved customs brokers and managers of external customs warehouses and precincts;
• The continued deployment of COSMOS Containers to further combat customs fraud, with reinforced collaboration upstream with Kribi Container Terminal (KCT) at the Port of Kribi and the Container Terminal Management (RTC) at the Port of Douala;
• The continuation of consultations with the private sector and other public administrations, particularly in the context of the acceleration of the import-substitution policy and the structural transformation of the national economy;
• Continuing to raise awareness among partners on the customs measures of the 2024 Finance Law;
• The continuation of frank and fruitful relations with companies in the context of the discharge of customs facilities linked, among other things, to incentives for private investment and direct release, as well as in the context of monitoring beneficiaries of customs facilities granted within the economic disaster areas of the Far North, the South West and the North West Regions;
• Strengthening the fight against illicit trade and illicit trafficking, in collaboration with businesses, with priority emphasis placed on the development of forecast and operational intelligence;
• The continuation of reforms and modernization of the customs administration, with the collaboration of other public administrations, the World Customs Organisation, CEMAC and our technical and financial partners;
• The continued implementation of the economic and security missions of the customs administration, with the support of the various stakeholders.