In one way or the other, all Cameroonians are affected by the positive or negative fall-outs of customs procedures. Cognizant of the primordial role this sector plays in our national economy, the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNSC) organised April 27 to 28 at the cosy SEME Beach Hotel in Limbe a training workshop themed “Understanding and applying customs procedures in the CEMAC Zone”.

The choice of Limbe for the workshop is significant for diverse reasons. Firstly, it has been noticed that shippers and business persons in Limbe and in the South West in general hardly master customs procedures. Moreover, “Limbe is a considerable import and export gateway, with main entry points being Idenau, Tiko, Ekondo Titi and Ekok. It is therefore a very important town to the customs administration and will attract even more traffic in the nearest future” with the imminent construction of a deep-sea port, Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, CNSC General Manager declared while welcoming participants. He underscored the importance of the workshop which seeks to enable participants to have a better understanding of the CEMAC customs territory, clearance procedures, get acquainted with customs terminology and know how to resolve customs litigation.

In the same vein, the Governor of the South West Region Koumpa Issa (who chaired the opening session) noted that understanding and applying customs procedures helps to have a better mastery of international trade requirements and avoid customs litigation, incidental expenses, penalties, waste of time, warehouse and other surcharges. In his address, he said a better understanding of customs procedures will be beneficial not only to importers and exporters of the South West but will help in fighting against the increase in cost of goods resulting in the rising cost of living in Cameroon.

On behalf of the Idenau Municipality, the Second Deputy Mayor voiced optimism that the workshop "will help shippers of the South West Region have a better understanding of and observe clearance procedures that have a direct impact on the improvement of the lives of all the inhabitants of the Idenau Council area, the South West Region and Cameroon as a whole..." Besides practical cases, seasoned speakers gave a series of presentations, including, among others, presentation of the CEMAC customs territory; bodies and instruments of the CEMAC customs system; pre-customs clearance formalities; and required documentation.