(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian Directorate General of Customs (DGD) recently issued a note denouncing fraud by the users of the online customs clearance system Camcis (Cameroon Customs Information System),

“The fraudsters use copies of import declarations available on the platform to change (chassis) numbers in West African countries," the DGD note reveals. The trickery was exposed during the operation Halcomi III (dedicated to the fight against illegal trade) when the Customs discovered that the chassis number of the car controlled was the same as that of another vehicle imported by a customs officer and still in his possession. "The vehicle was taken to the station and the mechanics dismantled the interior. The false (number of) chassis was removed and the real one was discovered underneath.”

This shows that although the authorities have praised the performance of the online customs clearance system, it has many shortcomings. On January 26 this year, on the International Customs Day (ICD), DGD reported it has collected 53% more revenue in 2021 than in 2020, thanks in particular to Camcis (launched in April 2020, ed). The amount reached CFA201.5 billion in 2021 against CFA132.1 billion the previous year.

The online platform was built based on a Korean model. It has replaced Sydonia++, an application originally designed solely for statistical purposes. According to Customs, Sydonia++ had weaknesses in handling all customs clearance procedures. This lengthened the time it took to clear goods. Thanks to Camcis, users no longer need to go to customs offices to carry out their import-export operations, thus saving time and money.

Sylvain Andzongo