{"id":493498,"date":"2026-07-23T08:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.financialafrik.com\/en\/2026\/07\/23\/cameroon-a-country-driving-on-scrap-heaps-instead-of-seizing-the-opportunity-of-chinese-cars-opinion\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T08:37:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:37:26","slug":"cameroon-a-country-driving-on-scrap-heaps-instead-of-seizing-the-opportunity-of-chinese-cars-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.financialafrik.com\/en\/2026\/07\/23\/cameroon-a-country-driving-on-scrap-heaps-instead-of-seizing-the-opportunity-of-chinese-cars-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameroon: a country driving on “scrap heaps” instead of seizing the opportunity of Chinese cars [Opinion]"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

In this opinion piece, Louis Marie Kakdeu analyzes the contradictions of the Cameroonian car market, marked by the obsolescence of the fleet and the persistent weight of used vehicles. While recent Chinese cars are offered at competitive prices on the international market, their access to Cameroon is indeed hindered by import costs and customs constraints. The author highlights the consequences of this situation on road safety, the environment, household expenses, and the national economy. He argues for a broader reflection on the renewal of the car fleet and the reforms to be undertaken.<\/p>\n

By Louis Marie Kakdeu, MPA, PhD & HDR<\/p>\n

Between 800, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 or 6,000 dollars, these are the prices displayed for some recent cars in China. But once they reach Cameroon, this opportunity is largely neutralized by customs costs. However, the country continues to massively import old vehicles. With an average age of 18 years, the Cameroonian car fleet is among the oldest in Africa. The economic, health, and environmental cost of this obsolescence tends to reduce the desired effect in terms of customs revenue.<\/p>\n

Faced with the increase in accidents, pollution, as well as rising fuel and maintenance expenses, the question of facilitating the importation of new or recent vehicles from China deserves to be raised. This could be a serious avenue to rejuvenate the car fleet, pending the development of a local car industry.<\/p>\n

An obsolete car fleet<\/p>\n

The situation is worrying: according to Customs, the average age of vehicles in circulation in Cameroon is 18 years. Furthermore, out of about 3 million used vehicles recorded in 2023, more than 92% were over 15 years old. This reality contrasts with the modernization ambitions displayed by the country.<\/p>\n

It is in this context that China appears with a competitive offer. Brands like Haval, Changan, Chery, Jetour, or the heavy truck manufacturer Sinotruk, offer new vehicles at prices sometimes close to those of imported used cars, with some models advertised starting from 14 million CFA francs. The commercial argument is simple: to allow households and transport professionals to acquire a new vehicle, under warranty, for a budget comparable to that of a used car imported from Europe, America, or Japan.<\/p>\n

The multiple costs of obsolescence: road safety, health, economy, and environment<\/p>\n

The link between the age of the car fleet and road safety is not just a matter of intuition. A study by the Ministry of Transport covering the period 2011-2017 established that the condition of vehicles was directly involved in 17% of the accidents recorded, behind speeding (35%), but ahead of drunk driving. Over this period, the country recorded over 7,200 deaths in about 21,000 accidents. In 2026, the obsolescence of vehicles – worn brakes, smooth tires, absence of airbags or modern safety devices – continues to weigh in the occurrence of accidents.<\/p>\n

The environmental and health consequences of this aging fleet are also documented. A regional study presented in Yaound\u00e9 in 2024, during a workshop bringing together the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the countries of the ECCAS, reported average emissions of 170 g of CO2\/km for passenger cars and 215.7 g of CO2\/km for vans. These levels are higher than those of recent vehicles, better equipped with more efficient pollution control devices.<\/p>\n

The experts gathered on this occasion recommended, among other things, the establishment of an age limit for imported used vehicles and the strengthening of awareness campaigns on the benefits of clean vehicles for air quality, public health, and climate. This issue is particularly sensitive in large urban areas like Douala and Yaound\u00e9, where automobile pollution is a significant source of fine particles associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.<\/p>\n

Beyond safety and health, the obsolescence of the car fleet also weighs on the national economy. The government collects around 119 billion CFA francs in revenue from used vehicles. At the same time, road accidents would cost the state about 200 billion CFA francs per year, or nearly 2.2% of GDP, according to estimates by road safety engineers. In addition, the maintenance costs and higher fuel consumption of old vehicles, which increase the expenses of both transporters and households, add to the burden.<\/p>\n

However, it should be noted that the State has been implementing an incentive tax policy for several years, even if its application is contested. This includes the total exemption of customs duties on vehicles under 10 years old within the framework of EPAs from 2019, and the exemption of excise duties and a 50% reduction in the taxable value on new electric vehicles since 2025. The 2026 finance law goes further by strengthening taxation on older vehicles, with a rate of 12.5% for vehicles aged 12 to 20 years and 25% for those over 20 years, with the stated aim of redirecting demand towards newer models. However, the concrete implementation of these measures remains unclear.<\/p>\n

Deeper reforms are still needed<\/p>\n

The current taxation and market limitations create a space that the Chinese offer could occupy. By offering new vehicles at prices close to those of imported used cars, China provides a credible alternative to reduce the average age of the fleet, limit risks related to mechanical obsolescence, reduce polluting emissions, and lower maintenance and fuel expenses for households and transport professionals.<\/p>\n

However, deeper reforms are still needed. Neither taxation nor openness to Chinese imports alone will solve a structural problem. A sustainable rejuvenation of the fleet requires a more ambitious policy: incentive taxation to attract investors in a local car industry, particularly in SKD\/CKD assembly, development of a skilled workforce, and improvement of household purchasing power. This last condition remains essential for access to a new vehicle not to remain out of reach for the majority of Cameroonians.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Chinese alternative may appear as an option for upgrading at a relatively controlled cost.<\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this opinion piece, Louis Marie Kakdeu analyzes the contradictions of the Cameroonian car market, marked by the obsolescence of the fleet and the persistent weight of used vehicles. While recent Chinese cars are offered at competitive prices on the international market, their access to Cameroon is indeed hindered by import costs and customs constraints.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536766,"featured_media":493501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12048,16412,12046],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-493498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chronicles","category-contribution","category-leaders-en","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nCameroon: a country driving on "scrap heaps" instead of seizing the opportunity of Chinese cars [Opinion] - Financial Afrik<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Headed by Adama Wade and his team of 20 journalists, Kapital Afrik offers strategic and financial information to executives and managers. 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