For five years, economic and commercial exchanges between Cameroon and Nigeria have continued to collapse, reaching 80%. This fall is mainly associated with the persistent insecurity between the two countries which share a maritime and land border of more than 1500 km.

The volume of trade which averaged 16 billion FCFA (28 million dollars) per year in 2015 fell to 3 billion FCFA (5 billion dollars) in 2019. According to the Cameroonian government, “these declines are observed both for exports -68.9% and for imports -85%. A triple conjunction due to the attacks of the terrorist sect Boko Haram in the Far North region, secessionist tendencies in the English-speaking regions of the North-West and South-West as well as separatist hints in the Delta region of Nigeria which cover Biafra.

The West African giant mainly imports food products from Cameroon, of which the country is one of the largest suppliers. However, Cameroon intends to increase its offer, in particular through the implementation of the electricity interconnection project, of which Nigeria is a major consumer; which would allow Cameroon to supply its neighbor by making readjustments to a trade balance that had hitherto been largely in surplus at more than 70% in Nigeria.