Author: benberga@yahoo.fr

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...

Cameroonian businessman Baba Ahmadou Danpullo is preparing to invest around 500 billion CFA francs (approximately 873 million USD) to launch a private airline called Danpullo Air Line. This amount represents about 92% of his fortune estimated at 547 billion CFA francs (approximately 955 million USD) by Forbes Africa. According to information from the announcement of...

In a press release issued on June 30, 2026, the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (Minmidt), Fuh Calistus Gentry, officially revoked 53 gold exploration permits for “non-compliance with the Mining Code”. “This decision marks a key step in taking back control of a sector long characterized by opaque practices,” said a Minmidt official. It is part of a broader strategy to clean up and restore the state’s authority over mineral resources. According to the Minister’s document, “many permit holders have exceeded their legal framework.” Especially in terms of exploration and evaluation of a gold deposit. Indeed, Fuh Calistus…

On July 1, 2026, Prometal Gabon, a subsidiary of the Cameroonian conglomerate Prometal Group based in Douala, officially launched the construction of a 38 billion CFA francs (nearly 66.3 million USD) steel plant in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Nkok, in Libreville. This industrial investment marks a major step in structuring the steel industry within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). This initiative is part of the strategy for local transformation of raw materials and reducing dependence on imports of steel products, a key issue for the economies of the sub-region. Located in Gabon, this new industrial…

To rebuild and modernize the infrastructure of the National Refining Company (Sonara) destroyed by a fire on May 31, 2019, the Cameroonian government has approved a budget estimated at 700 billion CFA francs (around 1.2 billion USD). Initially, only rehabilitation works were estimated at 250 billion CFA francs (around 435 million USD). The announcement was...

Since 1999, Camrail’s cumulative contribution to the Cameroonian economy is estimated at 750 billion CFA francs, or approximately $1.25 billion. The information was made public by the Managing Director of the Cameroonian railway concessionaire, Pierre Ngon, during a press dinner organized on June 22, 2026 in Douala. Camrail is a subsidiary of the MSC group...

The Cameroonian government intends to implement, starting in January 2027, a three-year action plan to restructure the local wheat sector, with a total estimated amount of 30.9 billion CFA francs (approximately 53.8 million USD). The announcement was made following a workshop held on June 24, 2026 in Yaoundé. This meeting brought together stakeholders in the sector around the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Minader), Gabriel Mbaïrobé. According to these stakeholders, this restructuring plan is based on three pillars. Namely “the production of certified seeds, support for wheat producers, and the establishment of storage, processing, and marketing infrastructure”. For Minader…

From June 15 to 19, 2026, a joint military and civilian mission invested the gold mining site of Punga, in the Ngounié province, putting an end to a large-scale semi-industrial clandestine operation. The operation, named Ekura, resulted in 55 arrests and the seizure of revealing logistical arsenal. The paradox is striking. The Punga site is...

On June 18, 2026 in Yaoundé, during the Promote Trade Fair, the governor of the Central African States Bank (BEAC), Yvon Sana Bangui, revealed that “in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), four out of five companies, or 80%, operate outside official registers, without certified accounting, without auditable balance sheets”. In this...

In a note published on June 22, 2026, the American rating agency Fitch Ratings confirms that “commercial banks operating in the countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) are able to absorb the turbulence related to the conflict between the United States and Iran.” It assesses the impact on their credit...

The signal is strong. Ten years after selling its onshore assets and leaving the country, the British oil company Shell has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gabonese government to evaluate several blocks in deep waters. The document was signed by Thomas Praeger, head of exploration and new opportunities at Shell, and Clotaire Kondja,...

In Gabon, the pressure exerted by conflicts between wildlife and agribusiness has reached a critical level. In Makouké, a locality in Moyen-Ogooué near Lambaréné, the local subsidiary of Olam Palm is now considering a partial or even total closure of its oil palm production site. The repeated incursions of elephants into the industrial plantations are to blame. According to the Singaporean trading and brokerage company, “almost 5,000 hectares of palm groves have been destroyed by the pachyderms, compromising the site’s profitability and forcing a significant reduction in activities.” This situation poses a serious economic and social threat to Makouké. A…

To revive the Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau road project, the Cameroonian government intends to invest 113 billion CFA francs (approximately $197 million). This strategic infrastructure, covering about 107 kilometers (km), aims to modernize a key axis between the Littoral and the Southwest regions. Its revival is part of the rehabilitation of National Road No. 3, essential for economic exchanges. To accelerate the technical and financial studies of this project, on June 19, 2026, in Yaoundé, the State of Cameroon, through the Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British company PROPAV Infrastructure Ltd, represented by…

During a multisectoral meeting held on June 19, 2026 at the Malabo Palace, Equatorial Guinean Vice President Nguema Obiang Mangue temporarily suspended 519 maintenance contracts of service providers to public entities. This decision follows the reading of the report by Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue on the matter. The report reveals “failures of the General Directorate of maintenance and upkeep services of buildings owned by the State.” The Vice President of the Republic notably points out “the lack of control over companies providing services to state institutions.” According to the report analyzing 519 maintenance lines, “233 lines were evaluated as…

e 2025 financial year, the profit of the Banco Nacional de Guinea Equatorial (Bange Bank) reached nearly 5 billion CFA francs (around 8.7 million USD), an increase of about 10% year-on-year. This result confirms the resilience of Equatorial Guinea’s leading public bank in a still constrained regional environment. This growth comes in a context marked...

On June 17, 2026, through the Ministry of Economy, Gabon initiated a thorough audit of its public debt, which local authorities estimate at around 8,700 billion CFA francs (nearly 15.3 billion USD), representing about 70% to 74% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as of the end of March 2026. This places the country on a trajectory that requires strict budget management. This approach comes in a tense budgetary context where public finances remain weakened by several years of imbalances. It aims to restore the confidence of financial partners, particularly to enhance credibility in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),…

AFG Bank Cameroon announced that, for the year 2025, it exceeded the threshold of 1,500 billion CFA francs (around USD 2.6 billion) in total assets. This performance is accompanied by a net profit of 255 billion CFA francs (nearly 392 million USD). This record level reflects not only sustained business growth, but also a well-calibrated...

On June 20, 2026, Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo confirmed the reappointment of Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua, just four days after the resignation of the entire government. This collective resignation of the former cabinet was justified by “results deemed inadequate by the executive”. According to the Vice President of the Republic, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, “the government had barely achieved 10% of the objectives set since its appointment in August 2024”. This was after an internal evaluation of performance deemed deficient by local authorities. This evaluation was made public through the Vice President’s social media, who…

The Cameroonian government spends nearly 1,783 billion CFA francs (around 3.1 billion USD) on the payment of salaries and pensions of public servants, which amounts to 148.6 billion CFA francs (almost 260 million USD) per month. This budget allows for the remuneration of 306,159 active public servants and the payment of pensions to 160,285 retirees, totaling 466,444 people who depend each month on the Cameroonian state payroll. This announcement was made by the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform (Minfopra), Joseph Lé, during his appearance before the deputies. These figures highlight the increasing burden of personnel costs on public…

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz marks a major geo-economic turning point. For countries in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), which are heavily exposed to global energy shocks, the event acts as an expected stabilizer. This maritime corridor sees nearly 20% of the world’s oil transit through it. Its paralysis...

Officially, the World Bank is not giving up on its climate funding. But the expiration, at the end of June 2026, of its Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) opens a phase of strategic uncertainty with heavy consequences for the countries of the Congo Basin. At the heart of the debate is the goal, in effect...

The government of Equatorial Guinea officially submitted its resignation on June 16, 2026, after an evaluation of its actions concluded that the results fell well below expectations. The announcement was made by Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue on the social network X. The decision follows an evaluation which found that the government, led by Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua, had only achieved about 10% of the objectives assigned to it. In his message, the Vice President explained that “the degree of achievement of the objectives barely reached 10%”, deeming this performance “clearly insufficient” in light of the public…

In the only departments of Mfoundi (Yaoundé) and Wouri (Douala), the State claims 1,522 built buildings valued at 1.512 trillion CFA francs (approximately 2.65 billion USD). The information was revealed on June 12, 2026, at the National Assembly by the Cameroonian Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute. The head of government relies on the report from...

Within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), a new front is opening between two strategic entities. According to official sources, the Caisse des dépôts et consignations of Cameroon (CDEC) is contesting a regulatory project by the Central African Banking Commission (COBAC) aiming to classify regulated deposits and consignments as banking operations. The Cameroonian public institution has declined to participate in the consultations opened by the community banking regulator. Behind this refusal lies a battle of competencies with major legal and economic implications. Two regulatory projects are at stake. The first project focuses on governance, internal control, and prudential…

In view of the imminent inauguration of its Cameroonian subsidiary in Douala, the American oil group Baker Hughes met with the interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (Minmidt), Fuh Calistus Gentry, on June 17, 2026. The American mission, composed of Christen Machak, head of the Political and Economic Division, Antoinette Manyaga and Stéphane...

According to the report on the evolution of lending rates of credit institutions in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), in the first quarter of 2026, the volume of bank credit contracted by 20.22% on an annual basis. It went from 3,146.9 billion CFA francs (about 5.6 billion USD) in 2025 to...

The French mining group Eramet is facing a new stage in its industrial and financial history that could redefine the geopolitical balance of critical resources. Weakened by a difficult 2025, marked by a net loss of nearly 477 million euros (around 313 billion CFA francs) and strong pressure on its cash flow, the group is...

The Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC) has obtained approval from its Board of Directors to initiate steps to access international capital markets. This strategic decision, made during a virtual meeting held on June 12, 2026 under the chairmanship of the Central African Minister of Finance and Budget, Hervé Ndoba, reinforces the institution’s ambition...

Gabon is preparing to make a notable comeback on the international bond market with the planned issuance of a eurobond worth 857.85 billion CFA francs (approximately $1.5 billion USD), arranged by Société Générale. This was revealed in the provisions of the Amended Finance Bill (PLFR) 2026 examined on June 10, 2026 by the Finance Committee...