Author: benberga@yahoo.fr

During his appearance before the deputies on November 18, 2025, the Minister of Finance (Minfi) revealed that with the 46 billion CFA francs (nearly 80 million USD) received by Geocoton for the repurchase, in July 2025, by the Cameroonian government, of 30% of its shares in the Cotton Development Company (Sodecoton), the French group Geocoton intends to finance the acquisition of shares in the French airline Corsair. According to Louis Paul Motaze, the repurchase of some shares in Corsair by Geocoton aims to create a joint venture with the Cameroon Airlines Corporation (Camair Co), the national airline of Cameroon. Ultimately,…

After two years of negotiations between Cameroon, accompanied by the firms KPMG Finance SAS, in terms of finance, and Chazai Wamba, technical expert, and the British investment fund Actis, assisted by Financia Capital and Amadagana & Partners, the Cameroonian government regains majority control of Eneo, the electricity concessionaire in the country. The official signing ceremony...

During a recent webinar co-organized in Paris by the Banque de France and the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (FERDI), on the theme: “What role for central banks and banking supervisors in the fight against climate change?”, the Central African Banking Commission (COBAC) and the Central African States Bank (BEAC) revealed their project to transform the B window of the money market into a green window to address the rising climate risks in the six countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad) of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). According…

The Central African government is planning a total budget of 368.43 billion CFA francs (640 million USD), a slight increase of 1.23 billion CFA francs (about 2.2 million USD) compared to the 2025 budget, which was estimated at 367.2 billion CFA francs (639 million USD). This is outlined in the draft Finance bill submitted to...

In its economic outlook on Cameroon’s public debt published at the end of September 2025, the Autonomous Amortization Fund (CAA) reveals that Cameroon has raised 159 billion XAF (275 million USD) from local banks, with partial or total guarantee from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), without specifying the lenders. This debt is part of the...

On November 14, 2025, on behalf of the Gabonese government, the Ministry of Economy responded to a report from Bloomberg, released on November 12, 2025. In which this American private agency specializing in finance indicated that the country’s economy was suffering from “perceived instability since the Transition and the structural fragility of the Gabonese economy,...

Since its implementation in 2013, the law on encouraging private investment has allowed the State of Cameroon to conclude 424 investment agreements for a total amount of 7.504 trillion CFA francs (13 billion USD). The information was revealed by the Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (Minepat), Alamine Ousmane Mey, as he defended the...

Libreville, the capital of Gabon, welcomed a delegation of Russian investors on November 14, 2025. According to the parties involved, the Russians were aiming to “explore the field in order to strengthen economic cooperation between Gabon and Russia”. The delegation from Moscow consisted of economic operators from the energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and technology sectors. This...

Between 2017 and 2024, the total volume of trade exchanges between Cameroon and the European Union (EU) reached 2.755 trillion CFA francs (4.85 billion USD), according to data jointly compiled by the Ministry of Commerce and the EU Delegation to Cameroon. Upon analysis, this figure illustrates the strength and resilience of economic relations between the...

According to the recent economic outlook on public debt published by the Autonomous Amortization Fund (CAA), as of September 30, 2025, the Cameroonian public treasury accumulates outstanding payments (RAP) estimated at 171.3 billion FCFA (302 million USD). The public debt manager notes that “these invoices pending payment to the public treasury for more or less...

On October 28, 2025, the Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) offered 800 billion XAF (1.4 billion USD) to commercial banks operating in the six countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad) of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). This liquidity offer is a record compared to previous injection operations into the banking system of the CEMAC zone. Indeed, according to the issuing institute common to CEMAC countries, this performance comes “in a context of marked increase in the liquidity demand of commercial banks”. It is worth noting that the two operations…

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has kept Cameroon on its grey list, indicating that the country is subject to “enhanced monitoring and increased scrutiny.” This information was revealed in a note published by the institution on its website on October 24, 2025. Cameroon’s continued presence on the FATF grey list requires government authorities to “address strategic deficiencies in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT).” In its note, the FATF states that “being listed on this list does not mean that a country is subject to countermeasures, but rather that it is under enhanced monitoring.” Consequently, the…

In its 2025 economic outlook, the World Bank reveals that in 2025, Gabon’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be 11.880 trillion CFA francs (19.8 billion USD). This represents a decrease of 780 million CFA francs (almost 1.4 million USD) compared to 2024, during which the country’s GDP had reached 12.660 trillion CFA francs (approximately 21.1...

After the official announcement of his re-election by the Cameroonian Constitutional Council on October 27, 2025, Paul Biya is first expected to focus on reviving a growth rate that averaged 3.4% in 2024, with a recognized potential of 6%, according to the Central African States Bank (BEAC). The goal is to increase it to over...

The Cameroonian Head of State, Paul Biya, has been declared re-elected with 53.66% for an eighth term of seven years. The victory of the candidate of the Democratic Rally of the Cameroonian People (RDPC) in the presidential election of October 12, 2025 was officially announced on October 27, 2025 by the Constitutional Council, which released...

In its economic outlook for the first quarter of 2025, the Cameroonian Ministry of Finance (Minfi) reveals that during the period under review, the total deposits made by customers of the 19 commercial banks operating in the country reached 8,634.1 billion XAF (15.3 billion USD). At the same time, the overall outstanding bank loans amounted...

Out of a total debt of 800 billion CFA francs (1.4 billion USD) by the end of 2024, up by 100 billion CFA francs (177 million USD) compared to the 700 billion CFA francs (1.2 billion USD), Eneo Cameroon owes 500 billion CFA francs (885 million USD) to its suppliers. This debt to suppliers was...

During the cabinet meeting on October 23, 2025 in Libreville, President Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema warned that “the hand of the State will not tremble [for the “Transition thieves”]. They will have to answer for their actions before the justice system.” According to the official statement reporting on these discussions, “the Gabonese head of state...

In 2026, the Ministry of Mines and Geological Resources of Gabon is requesting a budget of 68.12 billion CFA francs (approximately 121 million USD). This is an increase of 63.56 billion CFA francs (112 million USD) compared to the 2025 forecasts, which were 4.56 billion CFA francs (8 million USD). The request was presented on...

On October 22, 2025 in Bangui, the Central African Prime Minister, Félix Moloua, and the French Ambassador to the Central African Republic (CAR), Bruno Foucher, signed a financing agreement estimated at around 16.4 billion CFA francs (almost $30 million USD). This agreement, supported by the French Development Agency (AFD), consists of “a budget support loan...

According to the results of a liquidity injection operation of 700 billion CFA francs (1.2 billion USD) carried out on October 7, 2025 by the Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) in the banking system of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), credit institutions in this sub-regional community expressed needs of...

In twelve months, from June 2024 to June 2025, the total outstanding Treasury securities increased from 6,871.7 billion CFA francs (12.02 billion USD) to 8,672.4 billion CFA francs (15.2 billion USD). This represents a 26.2% year-on-year increase. This information was made public by the Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) in its latest report...

The Prime Minister of Cameroon, Joseph Dion Ngute, laid the foundation stone for the construction of an integrated pharmaceutical complex in Yaoundé, the capital of the country, on October 3, 2025. The cost of the project is estimated at over 530 billion CFA francs (948.7 million USD). This project is the result of a Sino-Cameroonian...

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank Group specializing in financing the private sector, is preparing to open an office in Libreville “in the coming weeks.” A physical presence that, according to the IFC, should “strengthen cooperation with the Gabonese authorities, ensure close monitoring of ongoing projects, and accelerate the identification...

In Congo, the 2026 Finance Bill provides for the disappearance of the Personal Income Tax (IRPP), deemed “complex and prone to abuse” by the Minister of Finance, Christian Yoka. During a meeting with the private sector held on September 30, 2025 in Brazzaville, he announced “the replacement of the IRPP by four new taxes: Income...

In its recent report on informal cross-border trade in 2024, the National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon (INS) reveals that 50.6% of the country’s informal imports were destined for Chad. This represents a monetary value estimated at 108.8 billion CFA francs (195 million USD). With such a high level of capture of these flows, Chad...

In Cameroon, in 2024, foreign direct investments (FDI) reached 529 billion CFA francs (929 million USD). This information was revealed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its 2024 activity report. It indicates that this performance is up by 10.8% on an annual basis. Indeed, in 2023, the country had only...

Canadian oil company ReconAfrica has just secured funding of 4.37 billion CFA francs (approximately 7.6 million USD) to support its activities in the Ngulu block, an offshore area renamed from the former C-7 block, in Gabon, covering 1,214 km² in shallow waters. This investment is the result of a production sharing contract (PSC) signed on...

In 2024, approximately 178 billion XAF (nearly 315 million USD) in non-performing loans are recorded in microfinance institutions (MFIs) operating in the six countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad) of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). This is revealed in the 2024 annual report of the Central...

To date, the agreements concluded between Gabon and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) are estimated at over 1.7 trillion CFA francs (3 billion USD). In addition to these funds allocated to strategic projects such as local manganese processing, strengthening energy production, and modernizing the railway network, an additional 130 billion CFA francs (nearly 230 million...