By Doh James Sonkey
The Director General of the Customs Department, Edwin Fongod Nuvaga has been elevated to the rank of Commander of the National Order of Valour for his outstanding services rendered to the nation at the helm of the Customs Department. The Customs boss was knighted with the medal on behalf of the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya, by the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze last January 27, 2025 at the 101 Military Airbase in Yaounde during the commemoration of the 72nd edition of the International Customs Day celebrated under the theme: “Customs delivering on its commitment to efficiency, security and prosperity.”
For his remarkable service to the State by steering the Customs Department to greater heights in revenue mobilisation year in year out, Fongod Edwin was raised from his previous ranks of Officer of the National Order of Valour and Knight of the National Order of Valour, to Commander of the National Order of Valour.
Some 13 Customs officers and seven partner agents were also recipients of Certificates of Excellence issued by the World Customs Organisation’s WCO Secretary General, Ian Saunders.
The ceremony was also marked by military parade and the awards of epaulettes and stripes to some 463 Customs officers; promoted to higher grades.
Despite global and national constraints, the Customs boss said the Customs Department has positioned itself on the path of efficiency, resilience and demonstrated its ability to adapt with remarkable performance achieved in 2024.
According to Fongod, for the second year running, the Customs Department surpassed the symbolic FCFA 1,000 billion mark; with budget revenue mobilised to the tune of 1,055.9 billion FCFA. The figure, he said, is against an annual target of FCFA 1,094.9 billion for 2024, representing an achievement rate of 96.5%. He said the result represents a FCFA 33.3 billion increase in absolute terms, compared to the FCFA 1,022.6 billion mobilised during the 2023 financial year.
“This performance reflects our ability to maintain an upward trajectory in a complex environment. They are the fruits of the commitment and skills of our Customs officers, but also reflect the determination of the Directorate General of Customs to contribute to the country’s economic and social development,” the Customs boss stated.
He also gave credits to the sector’s supervisory authority, the Minister of Finance, for the crucial role played in significantly reducing the amount of outstanding debts owed by public bodies and traders, thereby making a decisive contribution to consolidating the Customs revenues.
In addition to budget revenues, Fongod also indicated that the Customs Department collected off-budget revenues totaling FCFA 208.2 billion.
He said the figure was derived from transit duty on the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, communal centimes and excise duties, community contributions to finance the integration process of CEMAC, ECCAS and the African Union, amongst other sources.
As part of its efforts to facilitate trade, the Customs Department also collected various levies on behalf of its partners, totalling 76.5 billion FCFA.
“Including all these sources, the total revenue raised by the Customs Department in 2024 will amount to FCFA 1,327.3 billion, representing an increase of FCFA 35.4 billion (+2.7%) on the FCFA 1,291.9 billion recorded in 2023,” Fongod emphasised.
The Directorate General of Customs has reassured that all will be done to surpass once again the task of raising FCFA 1,144 billion as Customs revenue in 2025.