Customs Revenue On the Rise

The Directorate General of Customs fetched FCFA 221.9 billion for the State coffers in the first four months of 2014. The amount recorded as at April 30 represents a 104 performance rate given that FCFA 213.9 billion was envisaged.

Information from the Customs department indicates that in the same period in 2013, FCFA 182.7 billion was collected below the envisaged FCFA 207.5 billion. This year's January-April performance vis-à-vis that of the same period last year represents a rise in customs revenue collection of FCFA 39.2 billion, 21 per cent in relative terms and a 16-point improvement in output.

In an exclusive interview with Cameroon Tribune, the Director General of Customs, Minette Libom Li Likeng, said the impressive performance is as a result of reinforced strategies. Given that 2014 has been christened a year of "Customs surveillance," Mrs Libom Li Likeng noted that one of the strategies to uphold will be the improvement in goods management at the Douala Seaport. A Think-tank committee, she said, is in place to reflect on ways of better harvesting revenue from the hydrocarbons sector.

Of the FCFA 3,312 billion Cameroon's State budget in 2014, FCFA 638 billion is expected to come from Customs revenue.