Cameroon is interested in digitising customs clearance at airports in order simplify the procedure and maximise revenue collection.

Cameroon will next year release the CMR Customs Declaration App, a mobile application that automates customs clearing operations.

The app, which is available on Google Play and the App Store, will replace paper forms now provided by airlines to passengers and is slated to go live on January 1, 2024.

Passengers headed for Cameroon can download the app and then use it to validate and methodically submit their declarations, via an electronic questionnaire to be completed before disembarking at an airport, according to authorities from Cameroon's General Directorate of Customs.

Data such as journey number, passenger identification, passport number, items or luggage carried, currencies, and any other relevant information will be collected by the platform.

When the data is submitted to the mobile app, it generates a reference number in the form of a QR code, which customs agents can scan remotely upon arrival.

To facilitate the app's operation, the country's international airports of Maroua Salak, Yaounde Nsimalen, Douala, and Garoua will be outfitted with electronic declaration terminals in the customs inspection area.

The deployment, according to Customs Director General Edwin Fongod Nuvaga, is part of efforts to streamline commerce, simplify, and automate customs procedures.

Cameroon has relied increasingly on digital technology in recent years to improve customs clearing procedures and increase duty collection, adopting a Single Exit Document and digital receipt in the Cameroon Customs Information Systems.