Digitalization at the Frontier: Transforming Border Governance and Economic Order along the Nigeria–Cameroon Corridor

Introduction: Digitalization is fundamentally reshaping interactions among state, market, and society along the corridor

The Nigeria–Cameroon frontier, spanning diverse terrains from Bakassi’s marshlands to Borno’s plains and the forests of Taraba and Cameroon’s Far North, has historically exemplified governance through intermittent state presence. In particular, administrative continuity has been lacking, resulting in a reliance on crisis interventions and militarized responses shaped by both geography and displacement. Despite these challenges, the region is increasingly influenced by Africa’s digital revolution. The proliferation of mobile devices, intermittent network coverage, and widespread mobile money usage are transforming previously isolated communities into active participants in a digital landscape.

This article contends that digitalization is fundamentally reshaping interactions among state, market, and society along the corridor. Rather than dissolving borders or compensating for historical neglect, digital tools introduce new forms of visibility, traceability, and accountability that challenge traditional paradigms of border governance. The analysis proceeds through three core sections: the expansion of state presence via digital connectivity; the evolution of economic order through digital finance; and the emergence of civic participation enabled by digital accountability. These developments position the corridor as a potential exemplary for innovative border management in Africa.

I. Digital Connectivity and the Expansion of State Presence

Borderlands in West and Central Africa have often been characterized as “ungoverned spaces,” a term that, as Clapham and Nugent argue, overlooks the intricate social orders preceding formal state systems. The Nigeria–Cameroon corridor provides a compelling illustration. Following the International Court of Justice’s 2002 Bakassi ruling and the 2006 Greentree Agreement, both governments faced persistent challenges in establishing joint administration, with local populations frequently experiencing the state primarily through displacement or security operations. The escalation of Boko Haram violence in 2014–2016 led to border closures and further securitization, reducing governance to episodic interventions.

Digital infrastructure has begun to transform these patterns. The restoration of mobile towers in Mubi and Gwoza after 2015 counter-insurgency operations enabled local authorities to monitor population movements, health workers to resume follow-ups via SMS, and humanitarian agencies to collect and verify data remotely. This transformation constitutes a fundamental overhaul of the information systems that underpin governance, extending far beyond mere technological access. The concept of “legibility,” as articulated by James Scott, is instructive: governance becomes feasible when populations are visible through stable identifiers and reliable data. In Bakassi, unreliable census data has historically impeded effective administration; however, the expansion of network coverage since 2018 has facilitated the piloting of digital household registries in partnership with UN agencies.

Similarly, Cameroonian health authorities in the Mandara Mountains now share geo-tagged disease surveillance data with Nigerian counterparts, enabling unprecedented cross-border coordination. The efficacy of digital connectivity is contingent upon institutional capacity. Cameroon’s border health surveillance program exemplifies this principle. In 2021, community health workers in Mayo-Sava were trained to transmit real-time alerts via a digital platform, resulting in significantly reduced response times for cholera outbreaks. These initiatives highlight that digital tools enhance governance when integrated with local systems of trust, participation, and training. In sum, digital connectivity is shifting the frontier from a zone of intermittent governance to one characterized by continuous administrative observation. Data flows now enable institutions to engage with communities that were previously beyond the reach of conventional governance mechanisms. For example, in Banki, the introduction of biometric registration for displaced persons has allowed government agencies to deliver aid more efficiently and track population movements in real time.

Similarly, in Bakassi, digital platforms have been used to monitor the distribution of fishing permits and to coordinate responses to local disputes, ensuring that interventions are both timely and transparent. In Limani and Amchidé, the deployment of mobile-based reporting tools has enabled local leaders and residents to communicate infrastructure needs and security incidents directly to state authorities, reducing the lag time between problem identification and official response. These cases illustrate how digital connectivity is transforming the nature and reach of governance along the Nigeria-Cameroon border.

II. Digital Finance and the Evolution of Economic Order

The economic landscape of the Nigeria–Cameroon corridor is dominated by informal trade, which constitutes the primary livelihood for the majority of borderland populations. Amchidé, Banki, Limani, and Fotokol have long functioned as hubs for the exchange of goods between Nigeria and Central Africa, with over 80 percent of the workforce in border regions participating in informal cross-border trade. The fragility of this system was exposed during the Boko Haram insurgency, particularly following Nigeria’s closure of the Banki–Amchidé crossing in 2014. This intervention led to surging transport costs, doubled food prices, and widespread loss of livelihoods, disproportionately affecting women traders. This episode highlighted just how susceptible informal economies are to sustained disruption, revealing significant gaps in resilience and adaptability. Addressing these vulnerabilities, the expansion of digital finance is now reshaping the way economic transactions occur along the corridor, offering new tools and opportunities for greater stability and inclusion.

In Banki, traders now utilize mobile wallets to receive payments from Cameroonian buyers, reducing the risks associated with cash handling. Livestock traders in Limani employ MTN Mobile Money for secure transactions, and fishing settlements in Bakassi have benefitted from digital payments that facilitate operational expansion. These micro-level changes reflect broader regional trends: Sub-Saharan Africa recorded over USD 190 billion in mobile money transactions in 2023, with Nigeria and Cameroon among the fastest-growing markets. Empirical research demonstrates that digital finance enhances household resilience, supports investment, and particularly benefits women engaged in trade.

Building on these local transformations, digital finance is not only empowering individuals and communities but is also reshaping how governments understand and regulate economic activity across borders. In fact, digital finance also enables governments to gain visibility into previously opaque economic flows, supporting the design of policies that more accurately reflect actual behavior. The African Union’s Integrated Border Governance Strategy advocates for electronic trader identification, harmonized customs data, and interoperable payment systems. The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), launched under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), allows Nigerian and Cameroonian SMEs to settle transactions in local currencies, reducing dependence on foreign exchange. The adoption of such systems could facilitate the formalization of informal commerce, integrating it into national economic planning and regulation. Rather than eradicating informality, digital finance fosters a hybrid economic space in which digital traces enable selective formalization. Informal trade thus becomes a foundation for building new, inclusive economic orders.

III. Digital Accountability and Civic Participation

Historically, border zones have been insulated from mechanisms of accountability. Law enforcement units in Amchidé and Ekok have operated with limited oversight, while citizens have had few avenues to report abuses or influence policy. Despite significant investment in e-government platforms, these tools have rarely reached the populations most affected by administrative deficiencies. Digitalization is gradually altering this dynamic. Civil society networks in Adamawa and Cross River now employ mobile platforms to document infrastructure failures, diversion of relief materials, and arbitrary taxation at checkpoints. The “Border-Watch” initiative, launched in 2021, enables residents to submit geo-tagged reports of security abuses and service delivery gaps. These digital reports challenge the accuracy of official accounts and increase the visibility of governance failures.

In Bakassi, community monitors supported by local NGOs use digital tools to track the implementation of resettlement commitments following the ICJ ruling. Photographic evidence and testimonies on unmet compensation have influenced policy debates in Abuja and Yaoundé. While digital accountability does not eliminate impunity, it raises the costs by rendering abuses more visible. These practices align with the African Union’s principle of subsidiarity, which emphasizes community participation in development planning and monitoring. In the Mandara Mountains, cross-border peace committees now use WhatsApp to mediate disputes over resources, demonstrating the utility of digital platforms for civic engagement. As digital voice and visibility increases, border populations transition from passive recipients of state interventions to active agents capable of influencing governance outcomes. The Nigeria-Cameroon corridor thus exemplifies the potential for accountability to emerge through the integration of digital tools with local civic networks.

Policy Implications: greater civic inclusion could enhance better forms of participatory governance

1. Embedding Digital Transformation in Institutional Reform

The ongoing digital transformation along the Nigeria-Cameroon frontier underscores that technological adoption alone is insufficient for recalibrating border governance. Developmental impact is realized only when digital tools are embedded within institutional reform including human capital investment and regional coordination. The foremost imperative is the expansion of infrastructure and capabilities. Efforts to extend mobile broadband and data services must be matched by robust investments in digital literacy, regulatory capacity, and administrative systems that convert raw connectivity into meaningful state reach. Core elements such as digital registries, interoperable payment systems, biometric trader identification, and corridor-wide data-sharing protocols should be integrated into the foundation of border management, rather than remaining peripheral experiments. Without these institutional underpinnings, connectivity risks resulting in fragmented innovations rather than coherent governance architecture.

2. Facilitating the Formalization of Frontier Economies

A second essential implication involves the formalization of frontier economies. Digital finance now offers unprecedented visibility into cross-border transactions, but this regulatory potential can only be realized if governments craft frameworks attuned to the social economies that characterize border communities. Achieving these demands is participatory engagement with stakeholders such as traders’ unions, women’s cooperatives, transport associations, and local councils. Such collaboration ensures that taxation regimes, credit products, and licensing requirements do not criminalize livelihoods but instead channel economic activity into protected, growth-oriented circuits. Data generated from mobile money platforms, electronic receipts, and digital market reporting should directly inform policy design, allowing regulators to align rules with empirically observed trading patterns rather than administrative abstractions.

3. Consolidating Digital Accountability

The third policy priority is consolidating digital accountability. The emergence of community-based monitoring initiatives in Adamawa, Borno, and Cameroon’s Far North illustrates that even basic digital tools can broaden democratic space at the if states are willing to institutionalize community feedback. Embedding mechanisms such as USSD complaint lines, public procurement dashboards, and real-time delivery reporting within local government procedures would not only strengthen oversight but also help rebuild trust in institutions historically associated with predation or neglect. Accessibility remains critical: platforms must operate on basic handsets, in multiple local languages, and without prohibitive data costs to effectively reach the communities most affected by border governance failures.

4. Advancing Regional Coordination for Digital Integration

Finally, the Nigeria-Cameroon corridor demonstrates that digitalization can achieve its full integrative potential only within a regional, rather than solely national framework. Harmonized customs protocols, interoperable digital identity systems, shared early-warning platforms, and joint training programs for border agencies are essential to prevent the creation of isolated digital silos within each state. The AfCFTA’s vision for continent-wide fluidity of goods, services, and data underscores the necessity of such alignment. A digitally enabled border governance regime, co-designed by Abuja and Yaoundé and anchored within regional bodies such as ECOWAS and ECCAS, could transform the Nigeria-Cameroon frontier from a zone of episodic securitization into a laboratory for regional integration. This would set a precedent for other African border complexes undergoing similar transitions.

Conclusion: Digitalization is reshaping the Nigeria-Cameroon corridor into dynamic spaces of innovation

Increasing the visibility of remote communities for administrators, fostering the development of informal commerce, and allowing innovative approaches to civic oversight remain key factors for better border governance. Rather than dissolving borders entirely, these advancements transform them into dynamic spaces for innovation, greater inclusion, and more participatory forms of governance, setting the stage for deeper digital accountability and civic engagement.  For the corridor to serve as a prototype for AfCFTA-era border management, sustained institutional reform, investment in digital literacy, and inclusive policy frameworks are required. The ultimate measure of progress will be whether digital tools foster not only administrative efficiency but also dignity, rights, and economic opportunity for all borderland residents. Policymakers must seize the opportunity to reverse historical patterns of exclusion and build a new center of governance at the margins.