Smuggled phones in Cameroon: Finance Ministry turns up the heat on telecoms 📱🇨🇲

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Cameroon’s government is accelerating the rollout of its mobile device oversight framework — and its patience is wearing thin. In a letter addressed to the chief executives of MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon, Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé expressed frustration over what he characterized as inadequate implementation of resolutions reached at a May 22, 2026 meeting with the Directorate General of Customs.

At the heart of the matter is the pilot phase of a network access ban targeting fraudulently imported mobile devices. Launched on April 1, 2026, the mechanism was designed to boost customs duty collection while improving the traceability of connected devices in circulation across the country.

IMEI tracking at the core of the digital strategy 📡

As the grey market for smartphones and other mobile devices continues to expand, authorities are turning to the IMEI identifier — essentially a phone’s digital fingerprint — to distinguish devices that have been properly cleared through customs from those that have not.

In his letter, Finance Minister Motazé urged both major telecoms operators to take all necessary steps to ensure urgent and full enforcement of the mechanism. The government’s goals are twofold: protect state tax revenues and strengthen national digital security.

The ministry also noted that the systematic blocking of IMEI numbers not registered on the national tracking platform remains contingent on the technical readiness of all stakeholders involved in the project. The letter further warns that any connection to the national network by an undeclared device could expose the relevant operator to fiscal liability.

The document, dated June 1, 2026, was also sent to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, state-owned telecom operator CAMTEL, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART).

A project up against technical and legal roadblocks ⚖️

For context: the Directorate General of Customs had been planning to disconnect nearly 700,000 mobile devices not registered on the national platform — a measure originally set to take effect on May 25.

The plan, however, ran into obstacles on multiple fronts. The ART moved to temporarily suspend the process. CAMTEL acknowledged that its information systems were not yet equipped to handle such an operation at scale. And both MTN and Orange raised concerns about immediate enforcement, pointing to a legal grey area around the allocation of responsibilities between the sector’s various stakeholders.

The new taxes applied to mobile devices 💰

The new mechanism establishes a tax system based on administrative valuations assigned to each device category — not on its actual purchase price.

The announced amounts are as follows:

• Category 1: reference value of 5,000 FCFA – tax of 1,670 FCFA;
• Category 2: reference value of 10,000 FCFA – tax of 3,350 FCFA;
• Category 3: reference value of 20,000 FCFA – tax of 6,670 FCFA;
• Category 4: reference value of 25,000 FCFA – tax of 8,340 FCFA;
• Category 5: reference value of 50,000 FCFA – tax of 16,670 FCFA;
• Category 6: reference value of 100,000 FCFA – tax of 33,330 FCFA;
• Category 7: reference value of 200,000 FCFA – tax of 66,660 FCFA;
• Category 8: reference value of 400,000 FCFA – tax of 135,000 FCFA.

Beyond the fiscal dimension, this reform marks a meaningful step forward in Cameroon’s digital governance journey. It reflects a clear intent by the authorities to leverage telecom infrastructure and device identification technologies to better regulate the flow of connected equipment, crack down on smuggling, and secure the national digital ecosystem.

Is blocking undeclared phones a necessary move to fight fraud and strengthen digital security — or just another burden placed on everyday consumers? Tell us what you think in the comments.