Nigeria and Cameroon have stepped up efforts to facilitate cross-border trade with the launch of a joint assessment of the Ekok-Mfum One-Stop Border Post (OSBP).
The initiative, led by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Cameroon Customs Administration, is aimed at reducing delays and other barriers to trade, improving border security and promoting deeper regional economic integration.
The high-level assessment, held on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in Mfum-Ekok, was organised under the theme, “Leveraging the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernisation Project to Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade and Shared Prosperity.”
The exercise brought together customs authorities, technical experts, security agencies, development partners and representatives of border communities from both countries.
Speaking at the event, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the initiative was building on the longstanding cooperation between the two customs administrations.
Adeniyi observed that although Nigeria and Cameroon share a close geographical relationship, cross-border movement and trade remain more difficult than they should be.
“We are not building from nothing. We are taking something that works between the two of us and asking whether it can be made to work for the region and hopefully for our continent,” he said.
He acknowledged the contributions of the African Development Bank, ECOWAS, ECCAS, Afreximbank and the AfCFTA Secretariat to efforts aimed at improving cross-border trade.
The Customs CG also disclosed that Nigerian and Cameroonian officials had recently undertaken a study tour of the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe to examine international best practices in border management.
According to him, technical teams from both countries are currently working to conclude a joint operational agreement, which is expected to be signed during the forthcoming C-PACT conference.
The Director-General of Cameroon Customs, Fongod Nuvaga, described the assessment as a major step towards establishing more coordinated border operations between the two countries.
Nuvaga called for stronger real-time data exchange and joint risk-management mechanisms to ensure that cargo and travellers are processed efficiently without unnecessary duplication of checks.
The event also witnessed the launch of the Mfum-Ekok Border Modernisation Initiative, which is expected to combine digital customs solutions with improvements in border infrastructure.
The initiative is designed to modernise customs processes, improve operational efficiency and create new opportunities for businesses and communities along the Nigeria-Cameroon corridor, in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).