Dynamics of Maritime Trade along the Fako Coastal Belt of Cameroon: Ambiance, Challenges and Sustainable Combat Strategies

Maritime trade is dynamic and indispensable for economic growth and development around the World. This trade if not well monitored can become a threat to development considering the illicit and criminal transactions that surrounds the sector. In Cameroon, this informal trade has degraded customs income and promoted the infiltration of contraband goods into the country via local anchorage sites where custom services are weak. This trade has affected the State pricing policy of certain goods especially fuel. It is against this background that this study sets out to investigate, seaborne trade, and the illegal transactions that are common along the Fako coastal belt of Cameroon. Data for the study have been gathered from secondary and primary sources. Secondary data were gleaned from soft and hard copies of both published and unpublished documents, newspapers, and decrees relevant to maritime transport and trade. Primary data were sourced from field surveys where a simple random sampling technique was used to administer 278 copies of questionnaires to 10 localities along the Fako coastal belt of Cameroon using a convenient sample size. Supplementary primary data was gotten via interviews and observations in the three seaports along the coast. Results revealed that the Limbe, Tiko and Idenau ports though secondary, handles thousands of tonnes of cargo annually making Fako Division where they are located in Cameroon an eminent trading hub. Statistics from the Limbe Port Authority (PAL) indicated an increasing trend of export and imports annually in thousands of tonnes. The results shows that illicit seaborne trade is very common along this coastal belt with over 67 percent of the goods coming in from neighbouring Nigeria. The illicit product identified are petroleum products (46.2%), pharmaceutical products (30 %), food items (16.7%) and chemical fertilizers and others (5.3% and 3.8%) respectively. The results also revealed that in the year 2021 between January and August, over 18 cases of illicit goods were intercepted along this coastline with petroleum products destined to Limbe, Tiko and Idenau ports dominating. The reasons for the persistency of this illicit trade were corruption and the existence of a network of illegal organisation that transact the goods. This study recommends that custom and naval services be reinforced along this coastal belt to ascertain the type and originality of the products entering the country via the sea. Also, the State should investigate and dismantle illicit and organised illegal seaborne trade chains and charge officials at the maritime frontiers to be responsible and corruption free.