Author: benberga@yahoo.fr

“Wave will have succeeded if Cameroonians use their money with simplicity, transparency on costs, and reliability” One year after its launch in Cameroon, in partnership with Commercial Bank Cameroon (CBC), Wave claims a clear ambition: not just to open accounts, but to fundamentally change how Cameroonians use their money. In a market that already accounts for 65.1% of the volume and nearly 57% of the value of payment transactions in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), the Senegalese operator, with 150,000 active agents and 25 million monthly users in 11 African countries, relies on simplicity, cost transparency, and…

In a context where an audit is still ongoing to establish the exact amount of its public debt, Gabon is seeking to raise 857.85 billion CFA francs (around 1.5 billion USD) on international markets. This borrowing authorization is included in the revised 2026 budget released on July 21, 2026 by the Gabonese government. The operation...

According to the Economic and Budgetary Programming Document (DPEB) 2027-2029, as of the end of March 2026, Cameroon has a stock of outstanding payments (RAP) of 1,026.3 billion CFA francs (nearly $1.8 billion USD). The DPEB reveals that “nearly 44% of these RAP, or 452.5 billion CFA francs (approximately $778.5 million USD), are more than...

After cement, Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote is considering investing in the Cameroonian hydrocarbons market. The information was announced on July 21, 2026 following a meeting granted by Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute to a delegation led by Devakumar Edwin, Vice President in charge of oil and gas at the Dangote Group. The project presented...

The monetary easing decided at the end of June 2026 by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) is starting to have an impact on the interbank market. During the weekly liquidity injection operation on July 14, 2026, credit institutions operating in the countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) requested...

On July 20, 2026, the board of the Omega Consortium, presented by the Gabonese presidency as “a major international player in the energy sector,” submitted to the Gabonese president “a specific support mechanism dedicated to debt clean-up and restructuring.” Specifically, during the audience granted by the Gabonese head of state on the same day, the...

During a meeting held on July 17, 2026 in Brazzaville under the chairmanship of the Governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), Yvon Sana Bangui, the Board of Directors of the Deposit Guarantee Fund for Central Africa (FOGADAC) reaffirmed its ambition to increase its intervention reserve to 1,000 billion CFA francs (approximately 1.7 billion USD) by 2036. This information was revealed in the press release issued at the end of the Brazzaville session. The document specifies that “the intervention reserve now stands at 345.8 billion CFA francs (approximately 595 million USD), steadily increasing.” This, with an investment portfolio…

“To date, I can confirm the presence, among others, of Central African businessmen at the Bagofit International Business Week (BIBW) and the Bertoua International Fair (FIB), organized on the sidelines of the Chantal Biya international mountain bike (MTB) race,” said Joël Nkouemo, minister and special advisor to the Central African head of state. He was speaking on July 18, 2026 in Bagofit, a locality located more than a hundred kilometers from Bertoua, where this sports competition will take place from August 5 to 8, 2026. Continuing his intervention, Joël Nkouemo mentioned “the likely presence of Roger Seretoungou, the brand new…

The Equatorial Guinean government launched the activities of the National Mining and Quarrying Company on July 15, 2026, as part of its economic diversification strategy. The announcement was made following the first meeting of the board of directors of this new structure, chaired by the Prime Minister. This session notably formalized the establishment of the public entity responsible for overseeing the exploitation of the country’s mineral resources. This creation comes in a context marked by Equatorial Guinea’s strong dependence on hydrocarbons. Oil still accounts for over 80% of the country’s budget revenues, but this resource is declining due to a…

Gabon confirms its status as the main contributor to the trade surplus of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). In 2025, the country recorded a positive trade balance of 4,008.9 billion CFA francs (approximately 6.9 billion USD), according to data from the African Trade Report 2026 by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). This performance comes in a global context marked by falling commodity prices, logistical chain tensions, and a slowdown in global trade. Regionally, the results remain mixed. While Gabon strengthens its external position, Congo has seen a dramatic deterioration in its trade surplus. This fell to…

In a study presented on July 10, 2016 in Abidjan, at the African Economic Conference, two researchers – Arnold Foko Kengne from the University of Dschang, and Fabrice Ewolo Bitoto from the University of Johannesburg – propose that the Central African States Bank (BEAC) establish a financial “airbag” ranging from 1,700 to 2,300 billion CFA francs (approximately 3 to 4 billion USD) to cushion geopolitical shocks. According to the authors, this liquidity cushion would aim to “secure vital external purchases (food, energy, medicine) when international tensions escalate.” To support their conclusions, the two authors analyzed nearly forty years of monthly…

In the Economic and Budgetary Programming Document (DPEB) for the medium term 2027-2029, the Cameroonian Ministry of Finance (Minfi) reveals that between January and March 2026, the General Directorate of Customs (DGD) collected 260.9 billion CFA francs, or nearly 450 million dollars. This amount represents a decrease of 1.7% compared to the same period in 2025, during which customs revenue amounted to 265.5 billion CFA francs, or approximately 457.5 million dollars. Minfi attributes this decline to “the collapse of exit duties applied to exported products.” Out of the expected 30.8 billion CFA francs in the first quarter of 2026, 49.3%…

The Gabonese Ministry of Mines launched, on July 16, 2026, an operation to control and regularize gold mining titles. “This initiative aims to clean up a sector considered strategic for the country’s public revenues,” said the government of this country. It is expected that all operators in the gold sector in Gabon will undergo a mandatory audit. During this operation, companies holding exploration or exploitation permits will have to justify their administrative compliance, the reality of their work on the ground, and their financial strength. The initiative aims to “eliminate ‘dormant titles,’ these permits kept without real development.” The State…

According to the BEAC, the central bank of the CEMAC countries, in its note on the evolution of inflation in the region as of the end of March 2026, the blocking of scanning activities of goods at the Port of Douala affected prices in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Chad. The central bank specifies that this disruption of the logistics chain contributed to slowing down the expected decline in inflation in the first quarter. The BEAC indicates that scanning activities were blocked for a month and a half, from January 1 to February 18, 2026, before resuming on February…

During a press conference held on July 15, 2026 in Yaoundé, the Minister of Mines of Cameroon, Fuh Calistus Gentry, announced that the government will launch a wide-scale control operation starting from August 1, 2026, aimed at recovering a total of 395 billion CFA francs (approximately 680 million USD) in tax and customs revenues from the production of around 17.17 tons of gold, at the current rate of 80,000 CFA francs (approximately 138 USD) per gram. These revenues, covering gold production from 2025 and 2026, consist of the mining synthetic tax (ISML) and the exit duty (DS). In detail, the…

It is a historic milestone that the public securities market of the Central African States Bank (BEAC) has just crossed. Fifteen years after its launch, the outstanding amount of sovereign issuances now exceeds 10,000 billion CFA francs (approximately 17.23 billion USD). This amount confirms the growing importance of the financial market of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and its increasing role in financing the economies of the sub-region. Upon analysis, this progression illustrates the deepening of the regional capital market. It also reflects the confidence of investors in the sovereign ratings of the CEMAC states, in…

The Cameroonian industrial group Prometal, specialized in metallurgy and metalworking in Central Africa and located in the industrial zone of Douala-Bassa, finds itself at the center of a new issue in the electrical sector. Following authorization granted by the Cameroonian government for direct supply from the Electricity Development Corporation (EDC), Prometal will be able to...

ENI, the Italian oil company, has expressed interest in exploring block EG-27, one of Equatorial Guinea’s largest gas fields. The information was made public by Equatorial Guinea’s Information and Press Office, through its website, which reports on the discussions held during the meeting between the Vice President of the Republic, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, and...

According to data published by the Central African States Bank (BEAC), between March 2025 and March 2026, Cameroon has used its public securities market to raise 1,300.2 billion CFA francs (about USD 2.2 billion) to finance its budgetary needs. These operations were carried out through the issuance of Assimilable Treasury Bills (BTA) for short-term financing,...

Three years after its operationalization, the Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDEC) claims to have centralized more than 151 billion CFA francs (over 260 million USD) in resources. These figures, which confirm the growing importance of this institution in the Cameroonian financial landscape, were revealed by the Director General (DG), Richard Evina Obam. They illustrate the expansion of CDEC’s activities. During the period under review, as reported by the Director General on July 7, 2026, “more than 22,000 operations had been processed, including more than 17,000 deposits covering judicial, administrative, bail, sequestration, and unclaimed assets funds.” These activities fall within…

According to figures recently revealed by the Chamber of Accounts of the Supreme Court of Cameroon, between 2020 and 2025, the State injected 749.3 billion CFA francs (approximately $1.3 billion USD) into 26 public companies in the form of subsidies. The level of this budgetary support raises questions as the performance of this sector falls short of government expectations. However, this is not due to a lack of direction in the use of these funds. Indeed, as learned from the presentation by the Chamber of Accounts, in addition to ensuring the continuity of public services, this funding aims to preserve…

In the first quarter of 2026, the states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) mobilized 6,764.7 billion XAF (nearly USD 12 billion) on the public securities market of the Central African States Bank (BEAC). This represents an increase of 1,064.8 billion XAF (approximately USD 1.9 billion), or 18.7%, compared to the 5,699.9 billion XAF (nearly USD 10 billion) raised in the first quarter of 2025. These figures, revealed by the recent BEAC monetary policy report, reflect the dynamics observed in the regional Treasury securities market over the past four years. The common issuing institute of the…

In 2027, oil revenues included in the State budget will continue the downward trend that has been ongoing for about five years. However, according to the Cameroonian Minister of Finance (Minfi), this will mark the end of this decline. Indeed, Louis Paul Motaze reveals that from 2028 onwards, and at least until 2029, these revenues will begin to increase by 3.7%. The Cameroonian government member bases these forecasts on the Medium-Term Economic and Budgetary Programming Document 2027-2029, which he presented to the Finance Committees of the National Assembly and the Senate during the parliamentary session of June-July 2026. This document…

Based on its reference scenario, built on a barrel at USD 87.2, the Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) projects a 25% increase in its reserves by the end of 2026. This would bring them to 7,962.3 billion CFA francs (nearly USD 13.9 billion). This level of performance is expected to cover 4.72 months...

In its 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI) of Gabon aims to increase its revenues from 1,002.2 billion CFA francs (nearly 1.75 billion USD) in 2023 to 1,349.7 billion CFA francs (approximately 2.25 billion USD) in 2027. This represents a projected increase of 347.5 billion CFA francs (nearly 606 million USD). This envisioned performance aims to support the increasing financing needs of the state while reducing its dependence on oil revenues. The Gabonese tax authority also aims for a 20% increase in non-oil revenues by 2027, signaling a desire to diversify sources of budgetary income. Unlike a…

For the 2027 budget year, the Cameroonian government intends to allocate 5,057.4 billion XAF (nearly 9 billion USD) to service its public debt and pay arrears for the years 2028 and 2029. This information is contained in the Medium-Term Economic and Budgetary Programming Document covering the period 2027-2029. On average, the State will commit 2,528.7...

According to the financing plan outlined in the Medium-Term Economic and Budgetary Programming Document (DPEB) for 2027-2029, the Cameroonian public treasury intends to raise 1,000 billion CFA francs (around 1.75 billion USD) on international markets for the 2027 fiscal year. This operation comes just one year after a previous similar loan, which is still ongoing...

The French Development Agency (AFD) has invested around €949.6 million in the implementation of 51 projects in Central Africa as of December 31, 2025. This represents nearly 30% of the total envelope, estimated at €3.2 billion, of AFD group investments during this period. Specifically, €875.8 million was provided by AFD, €61.8 million by Proparco, and...

According to figures revealed by the Chamber of Accounts in June 2026, and recently relayed by Professor Viviane Ondoua Biwole in her study report on the expired mandates of public enterprise leaders in Cameroon, out of a total volume of 1.911 billion CFA francs (approximately 3.33 billion USD) of state subsidies to these structures in 2024, only 55.75 billion CFA francs (approximately 97.04 million USD) were subject to effective control. This represents a coverage rate of 2.92%, a particularly low level compared to financial governance standards. This sheds a harsh light on the state of execution and control of Cameroonian…

On July 3, 2026 in Yaoundé, the governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), Yvon Sana Bangui, received a high-level delegation from the Chinese technological group, Huawei. This delegation was led by Fernando Liu, president of Huawei Digital Finance’s “Central Bank” division. The meeting between the two parties takes place in the context...