Since 2019, cross-border commerce between northern Nigeria and Cameroon’s Far North has gradually resumed. Improved security along the corridor has allowed transporters to move again, breathing new life into customs revenues and igniting a broader conversation about what comes next.
A convoy of heavy trucks from Nigeria stands idle on both sides of the sandy track linking the economic giant to Cameroon. Not long ago, such convoys were prime targets for Boko Haram attacks. The situation has changed, according to Aboubacar Mahamed, a Nigerian driver hauling sacks of millet toward N’Djamena, Chad. “From Nigeria, from Kano through Maiduguri, then Maiduguri to Banki to enter Kourgui, we had no problems. There is security from Kourgui to Amchidé and to Yagoua—no issues on the road.”
Despite the improved security, Aboubacar Mahamed says timing matters. “The Cameroonian soldiers from the Rapid Intervention Battalion are making great efforts, but for us, if the truck breaks down between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., it’s better to spend the night in that village or in the bush,” he explains. “Around 6 a.m. the next day, you can start moving. It’s better to begin driving from 6 a.m. and park around 5 p.m.”
A lifeline corridor for local communities
To reach Kourgui, these truckers pass through Limani, the main customs office on the Cameroonian side. Closed in 2014 due to Boko Haram’s violence, it reopened seven years ago.
Célestin Delanga, a security specialist for the Lake Chad Basin at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), highlights the significance of renewed trade between the two countries. “Cameroon exports food crops and livestock to Nigeria, and imports fuel, textiles, electronics, and spare parts, among other goods,” the researcher lists. “This helps ensure economic security. The improvement in traffic, combined with a strengthened security apparatus along cross-border trade routes, is helping to revitalize commercial exchanges.”
Populations long battered by Boko Haram’s abuses are also reaping the benefits of this economic uptick. For Célestin Delanga, cross-border trade now plays a vital role in a region facing new climate challenges. “Two years ago, floods destroyed crops and livelihoods; this year, drought is crippling the rainy season. Cross-border trade is a kind of lifeline,” he says.
The trade revival is pushing customs revenue ambitions to 741 billion CFA francs for the first nine months of 2026. In 2023, that figure stood at just one billion CFA francs.
Reactions and what lies ahead
The turnaround has sparked discussion among residents, traders, and officials. Many welcome the renewed movement of goods and people, but questions remain about whether the security gains can hold. The corridor’s revival has become a test case for how far stability can translate into lasting economic recovery.
For now, the improved security has allowed communities to rebuild their livelihoods. Yet the region remains vulnerable to climate shocks and the ever-present risk of militant violence. The coming months will show whether this fragile revival can endure.
