A study by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) reveals that informal cross-border traders in the tri-border area between Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, particularly in Kye-Ossi, continue to face significant administrative and financial challenges. The report, entitled "Characterization of informal cross-border trade in Central Africa: the case of the Cameroon-Gabon-Equatorial Guinea tri-border area," highlights the challenges faced by these traders.
The ECA study emphasizes that these difficulties largely stem from interactions between traders and border post services. Customs, police, gendarmerie, and various sectoral administrations responsible for controlling goods, including agriculture, livestock, trade, and forestry services, are all implicated. While these constraints affect all operators, they disproportionately impact women, who are highly represented in this sub-regional trade sector.
Customs procedures are a central concern, with nearly all respondents considering customs clearance costs too high, deterring many operators from declaring their transactions to the relevant authorities. Faced with these costs, some traders prefer to use informal channels to move their goods.
The report also highlights the existence of arbitrary taxes, often collected without the issuance of receipts, a practice denounced by 83% of respondents. This situation underscores the problem of embezzlement or loss of customs revenue, as any declaration or payment to customs services should result in the issuance of a receipt.
The slowness of customs formalities is another major obstacle, cited by 78% of traders surveyed. This situation particularly penalizes transporters of perishable goods, especially foodstuffs that require rapid delivery to markets. In addition, 56% of operators report facing corruption, with some agents demanding informal payments to facilitate the passage of goods. Traders also report multiple administrative harassments, mentioned by 48% of respondents, which translate into hostile or contemptuous attitudes from some border agents and a lack of flexibility in the application of procedures.
These observations highlight persistent shortcomings in the supervision of cross-border trade, given the missions assigned to Cameroonian customs, which include the collection of tax revenues, the economic mission, as well as the surveillance and protection of the territory. In Kye-Ossi, customs services are present at the three main crossing points, and the main customs office is connected to the CAMCIS customs computer system, which is supposed to allow the registration of declared transactions.
The ECA estimates that informal cross-border trade in Africa accounts for between 7 and 16% of formal intra-African trade flows and between 30 and 72% of formal trade between neighboring countries.
