The African Development Bank Group officially launched its 2025 Country Report on Cameroon during a ceremony held in Yaoundé on 22 July 2025. The event featured in-depth discussions on the country’s current economic challenges and development priorities. The report is part of the broader African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2025, which offers an annual review of economic trends, socio-economic issues, and progress across Africa’s 54 countries. The AEO 2025 was initially unveiled at the Bank’s Annual Meetings in May in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, under the theme “Maximizing Africa’s Capital for Sustainable Development.” The launch in Cameroon was attended by key government representatives and stakeholders from various ministries and the private sector.
The report outlines that Cameroon’s economy is in a phase of recovery, with an estimated GDP growth of 3.6 percent in 2024. This growth is largely driven by infrastructure investment and an upsurge in manufacturing, particularly in sectors that are transforming local agricultural and textile products. The analysis highlights opportunities for the country to advance in areas such as domestic resource mobilization, governance enhancement, business environment reforms, digital transformation, and better utilization of its natural capital.
The report identifies several urgent reform areas for Cameroon to unlock sustainable growth. These include reducing tax exemptions, expediting digitalization, and restructuring key public enterprises, especially those in the energy and refining sectors. Strengthening governance, improving transparency, and reinforcing the rule of law are also emphasized. The publication of public corporations’ financial statements and the adoption of the National Integrated Financing Strategy (SNFI) are cited as essential to expanding funding sources and tapping into carbon market potential.
Other recommendations include consolidating the financial sector, promoting local processing of raw materials, and developing regional infrastructure. The report also advises phasing out fuel subsidies to maintain macroeconomic stability, while protecting investment spending, prioritizing concessional financing, improving service delivery in insecure regions, and enhancing budget absorption capacity to manage economic shocks effectively.
During the presentation, African Development Bank economists Ameth Saloum Ndiaye and Godwill Kan Tange highlighted the report’s practical strategies for better leveraging Cameroon’s natural, human, and financial capital. Key issues such as public enterprise reform, governance, debt sustainability, industrialization, vocational training, and access to innovative financing were also discussed. The Secretary General of Cameroon’s Ministry of the Economy, Jean Tchoffo, welcomed the report’s findings, noting their alignment with Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2030 (SND30).
