Cameroon Revives Phone-Blocking Plan for Customs Revenue Recovery

Cameroon plans to start blocking undeclared mobile phones, tablets and other connected devices from local telecom networks on Sept. 1, three months after an initial enforcement deadline failed to take effect. The measure is part of a customs overhaul that authorities expect to generate CFA25 billion in annual revenue from mobile device imports. Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé announced the new deadline in a statement issued Aug. 20. The measure covers devices that entered Cameroon without customs clearance after April 1, 2026, under a collection system established in the 2023 Finance Law and formally introduced in March 2026. The restrictions will apply to undeclared devices connecting to a local telecom network for the first time. They will also cover phones first connected after April 1 whose owners received notices and warnings but failed to act. Devices activated in batches using the same SIM card after April 1 and no longer in continuous use are also covered. This ...