Tackling smuggling, boosting revenue Nigerian Customs tapping from Cameroon’s expertise.

They are from the Nigerian Customs Service Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada. The visiting team is led by the Assistant Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Happiness Ebelle.

The five-day strategic immersion mission started on Monday, October 26, 2026. Officials said it was organised as part of the prestigious Africa Study Tour.

The continental study workshop is within the context of the visit, held at the Annex of the Directorate General of Customs at Tsinga-Yaounde. 

It was launched Monday on behalf of the Director General of Customs, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga, by the Head of the Special Customs Intervention Group, GSID, Commander Ekolle Félix.

It was under the theme: “A Customs administration that protects society through vigilance and commitment”. 

The learning and experience-sharing session provided an opportunity for Cameroon and Nigeria customs to join forces in confronting evolving security threats and increasingly sophisticated smuggling networks.

Common vision of border governance 

According to Commander Ekolle Félix beyond mere geographical proximity, Cameroon and Nigeria share a common vision of border governance.

“This visit is a major academic and operational bridge,” Commander Ekolle said. 

The GSID Commander also avowed that Africa Study Tour offers the thirteen trainees and four administrators from Nigeria the opportunity to dissect the organization and functioning of the Cameroon Customs Administration. 

He also said the visit provided an opportunity to seal an excellent partnership in the fight against organised transnational crime.

Emerging challenges for the customs officers

The academic flagship of the Nigerian Customs, renowned for its rigour in training senior executives, officials noted; chose Cameroon to get practical insights within a context marked by complex emerging security challenges.

Since Monday, Cameroonian experts have been leading high-level modules on the most crucial technical and strategic issues. 

Some of them included integration of Customs into the national defense and security community, and feedback from Operation Halt to Illicit Trade, HALCOMI.

The trainees have also been groomed since Monday on monitoring of customs operations, cargo scanning and the SPC++ Program. They have also been taught techniques in combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The training has also included real-time data exchange, coordinated border management and optimization of budgetary revenue.

Field visit for practical lessons

As part of the training programme, the Nigerian delegation has made field visits to assess the effectiveness of Cameroonian systems.

The programme included a visit to the Directorate General of Customs monitoring room; the National Financial Investigation Agency, ANIF; and the Division of Customs Investigations and Surveillance.

This training component will equally take them to the Customs Training Centre in Nomayos and the prestigious International School for Security Forces, EIFORCES, in Awae. 

To improve their mastery of the realities of the global logistics chain in Cameroon, the delegation made visits to giants Africa Global Logistics, AGL, and DHL, as well as a diplomatic stop at the Nigerian High Commission.

The visit of the Nigerian delegation will culminate in a gala dinner offered by the Minister of Finance this Friday night. It is world noting that the elite program for the Nigerian Customs is simultaneously being organised this year in four key nations on the continent including Tunisia, Lesotho, Niger, and Cameroon.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3955 of Friday October 30, 2026