Cameroon generated CFA15.1 billion in transit fee revenue from the transportation of Chadian crude oil between January and May 2026, highlighting the continued importance of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline to the country’s public finances.
Data reviewed by Business in Cameroon shows that monthly revenues remained steady during the period, with CFA2.94 billion collected in January, CFA3.52 billion in February, CFA2.85 billion in March, CFA2.83 billion in April, and CFA2.95 billion in May.
The latest figures extend the positive trend recorded earlier in the year. By the end of April 2026, Cameroon had already collected CFA12.15 billion in transit fees, representing an increase of CFA1.2 billion, or 11%, compared with the same period in 2025.
The rise in revenue is linked to sustained crude oil volumes transported from Chad’s oil fields through the Chad-Cameroon pipeline to the Atlantic coast. According to the Petroleum Products Pricing Stabilization Fund, oil flows remained stable during the first months of 2026.
Between January and April, approximately 16.1 million barrels of crude oil passed through the 1,080-kilometer pipeline. The infrastructure plays a critical role for landlocked Chad, allowing the country to export crude oil to international markets through Cameroon’s coastal facilities.
The pipeline carries crude oil to the offshore terminal at Kribi in southern Cameroon, where shipments are loaded onto tankers for export. In exchange for allowing the pipeline to cross its territory, Cameroon receives a transit fee for every barrel transported.
The current transit fee is set at $1.321 per barrel, following negotiations launched by Cameroon in 2013 to secure higher compensation. When the pipeline began operations, the fee was initially fixed at $0.41 per barrel before being revised upward in 2013 and again in 2018.
A further tariff review was expected to take effect from October 2023 under the agreement between Cameroon and Chad. With crude oil volumes continuing to move through the pipeline, discussions over another increase in transit fees could return between Yaoundé and N’Djamena.
The continued revenue from oil transportation reinforces the strategic importance of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline as both countries rely on the infrastructure for regional energy trade.
