Mobile phone operators MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroon, and Camtel have been instructed to block mobile phones and other digital devices that have not been cleared through customs. This directive, issued by the Director General of Customs, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga, is dated May 18, 2026, with the actual blocking scheduled to begin on May 25, 2026.
The measure specifically targets devices connected to the local network for the first time from April 1, 2026, the date the new system for collecting customs duties on these devices came into effect. The Director General of Customs has reminded that any connection of an uncleared device to the local network could make the operator responsible.
This action follows a warning from the Minister of Finance to importers suspected of circumventing the new customs system. A statement by Louis Paul Motazé, dated April 27, 2026, revealed that between April 1 and April 25, approximately 700,000 phones had connected to the local network for the first time without being cleared through customs. According to sources at the Directorate General of Customs, the actual number could be even higher.
The main objective of this measure is to regain control of a fiscal sector weakened by smuggling. The state aims to increase customs revenues on mobile phones and other digital devices, which have fallen from 2 billion FCFA per month in the 2000s to around 100 million FCFA today. The Directorate General of Customs hopes to increase these revenues to at least 25 billion FCFA per year through this reform.
Cameroon has implemented a digital system to collect customs duties on phones and tablets, where undeclared devices will be blocked from local networks starting April 1, 2026. This system requires all imported phones, tablets, and digital terminals to be declared via the Cameroon Customs Information System (CAMCIS). Unregistered devices will have their identifiers transmitted to telecom operators to block their connection.
This new system for collecting import duties on mobile devices came into effect on March 16, after customs revenues on these goods fell from 12 billion to 100 million FCFA. Mobile operators no longer collect customs duties but block and unblock devices. Importers must declare devices via the digital platform and make payments electronically.
The Cameroonian government aims to increase its customs revenues and combat the smuggling of mobile phones and other digital devices by requiring mobile phone operators to block uncleared devices from May 25, 2026. The goal is to reach 25 billion FCFA in customs revenues per year.
