Nigeria, Cameroon Move to Ease Trade Frictions at Mfum-Ekok Border

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Cameroon Customs Administration have launched a joint assessment of the Mfum-Ekok One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) to eliminate cross-border trade friction, strengthen border security, and drive regional economic integration.

Mfum-Ekok is a major international border crossing and trade corridor linking Mfum in Cross River State, Nigeria, with Ekok in the South-West Region of Cameroon.

Speaking at a recent high-level exercise themed Leveraging the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernisation Project to Advance Seamless Cross-Border Trade and Shared Prosperity, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, highlighted the enduring partnership between both administrations, noting that despite their close geographical proximity, movement across the border remains unnecessarily challenging.

The event brought together customs chiefs, technical experts, security agencies, development partners, and local community leaders from both nations.

“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,” Mr Adeniyi stated, acknowledging key support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

Mr Adeniyi also revealed that both customs delegations recently conducted a study tour of the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe to benchmark best practices. Technical teams are now working to finalise a joint operational agreement expected to be signed at the upcoming C-PACT conference.

The Director General of Cameroon Customs, Mr Fongod Nuvaga, called the assessment the first concrete step toward unified border operations. He urged both sides to focus on real-time data sharing and joint risk-management systems so cargo and travellers can be processed once rather than subjected to duplicate checks.

The event concluded with the launch of the Mfum-Ekok Border Modernisation Initiative. Driven by trade technology experts, the project aims to digitise customs workflows, optimise physical infrastructure, and unlock new economic opportunities aligned with AfCFTA goals.