Cameroon investigates airport cargo bottlenecks after 2025 complaints ⁰

Cameroon’s National Shippers’ Council (CNSC) has launched an investigation into administrative bottlenecks and irregular practices affecting air cargo clearance at Douala and Yaounde-Nsimalen international airports, revisiting problems raised by freight operators in 2025.

According to a statement signed on October 6, 2026, by CNSC General Manager Auguste Mbappe Penda, the investigation runs from October 6 to 31 and is being conducted by the Council’s Transport Observatory. Importers, exporters, freight forwarders, licensed customs brokers, airlines and public administrations have been invited to report difficulties encountered when clearing goods entering or leaving Cameroon.

The new investigation follows a March 2025 meeting in Douala involving the Directorate General of Customs, inspection company SGS, DHL and shippers. The discussions identified several obstacles to air cargo clearance, including delays in issuing import valuation and tariff classification reports, slow processing of applications submitted without these documents and recurring disagreements between Customs and SGS over the valuation of imported goods.

Participants recommended introducing a fast-track clearance channel, encouraging advance import declarations and clarifying documentation requirements for postal and courier shipments. They also agreed to assess progress on the recommendations within three months and establish a permanent consultation framework. The available information does not establish which measures have since been implemented.

In the second quarter of 2025, imported goods spent an average of eight days in airport warehouses, up from 7.8 days during the same period in 2024. Export cargo, by comparison, spent an average of 29 hours in airport warehouses, down from 31 hours a year earlier. These figures measure warehouse dwell times rather than customs processing alone.

Source: Business in Cameroon