C’River border communities lament trade slowdown with Cameroon

Border communities in Cross River State have lamented the rising cost of fuel, saying cross-border trade with neighbouring Cameroon has drastically reduced since 2023. Traders and transporters in Ekok, Ikom Local Government Area, said the cost of moving goods to the border had doubled in the last two years, making it difficult for buyers across the border to afford Nigerian products. Speaking with The PUNCH in a telephone interview on Monday, one of the traders, Asuquo Bassey, said the increase in fuel prices had affected the economy of the area, describing the situation as “frustrating and demoralising.” He said, “Before, we used to pay within N2,500 or less to bring a bag of rice to the border communities. Now it is N6,000 to N7,000. Customers in Cameroon cannot afford it, so they buy less. It is very frustrating and demoralising.” Another resident, Queensley Ajong, who hawks vegetables and smoked fish in the border market, said their profit margins had collapsed, adding that they now carried smaller quantities because of high transportation costs and low patronage. “From Ikom to Boki down to this part of our community, the cost of transportation is very high. Because of the high cost of transportation, we now go to the market and buy smaller quantities. Sincerely, the high cost of transportation has really affected us. It has reduced patronage,” she lamented. On his part, Ajot Odama also lamented the low patronage caused by the high cost of transportation. He added that businesses within the border communities had significantly slowed down. “Before 2023, our market days were full of Cameroonians. Now you can count them. The transport costs have killed our business, including plantain, cocoyam, palm oil and others,” he added. Odama further said the pressure had pushed some traders to resort to illegal routes, increasing their risk of arrest, seizure of goods and financial losses.