Cameroon Launches AfCFTA Trade Project for Small Border Traders

Cameroon has launched a new cross-border trade project backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The initiative targets trade and economic resilience along corridors linking Cameroon with the Central African Republic. Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana officially launched the project, known as PAMOZ, on October 6 at the Economic and Social Council in Yaoundé. The initiative is designed to support implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by facilitating cross-border trade, improving border management and strengthening economic inclusion in fragile areas. The project focuses on the Douala-Bangui and Douala-Kousséri corridors, according to AfDB project documents. These routes are central to Cameroon’s role as a transit and commercial hub for landlocked Central African countries, particularly the Central African Republic and Chad. PAMOZ combines trade-related measures with interventions covering human mobility, border governance, economic development and support for communities around border areas and major trade routes. Small cross-border traders, particularly women and young people, are among the ...