According to official data released by the General Directorate of Customs (DGD), customs and tax revenues on imported mobile phones have exceeded the 1.8 billion FCFA threshold between April 1st and early September 2026. During the comparable period last year, collected revenues hovered around 400 million FCFA, reflecting a nearly 4.5-fold increase in financial volumes mobilized.

This performance is primarily driven by the operational implementation, effective since spring 2026, of the new customs clearance and traceability mechanism for terminals. The system mandates systematic registration of IMEI numbers via the customs platform CAMCIS, thereby enabling authentication of the fiscal compliance of equipment connected to local mobile networks. 


Over the first five months of application, this new discipline has translated into the declaration of approximately 386,000 devices, generating an average monthly revenue of around 360 million FCFA — far removed from the chronic receipts observed in the past.

The momentum is expected to intensify with the entry into force, effective at the beginning of September, of the phase restricting network access for non-compliant terminals. Whereas previous years had seen customs revenues erode under the weight of smuggling and informal imports — contrasting with the performances recorded at the beginning of the 2000s — the administration aims to compel operators and users to comply with legal requirements. 


If the current pace of tax accumulation suggests an annual total surpassing previous fiscal years, achieving the ambitious targets set for the twelve-month horizon will depend on the sustained effectiveness of the now-activated blocking measures.


Nlend Flore

Tags: téléphones portables recettes douanières 1,8 milliard FCFA douanes camerounaises CAMCIS IMEI dédouanement restriction réseau importations formelles fiscalité mobile