On Tuesday 23 June 2026, the president of the Groupement des Entreprises du Cameroun (GECAM) painted a grim picture of the factors stifling the country’s economic development.
According to the GECAM leader, Cameroon’s growth slowed to 3.1% in 2025, down from 3.5% in 2024—a pace he considers far too slow to achieve the 2035 emergence target. For context, sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to grow at an average of 4.5%, while the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) should reach 6.4%. In contrast, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), where Cameroon remains the largest economy, is projected at only 2.6%.
This underperformance is largely linked to the collapse of the oil sector. The hydrocarbons segment contracted by 6.9% in 2025, following a steep 9.7% drop in 2024, confirming for GECAM that petroleum is no longer the primary growth engine for the nation.
286,000 tonnes
Other sectors offer little reassurance. In the primary sector, growth fell from 3.6% to 1.7% over one year. Industrial and export agriculture swung from +8.7% in 2024 to -3.2% in 2025, a result of adverse climate conditions and declining exports in several value chains, he added.
Cotton stands out as a key symbol of this deterioration. Production reached only 286,000 tonnes, far below the target of 400,000 tonnes. Export volumes dropped by 24%, while the value of cotton exports collapsed by 29.8%.
1.7% to 2%
“Even the most performing value chains reveal certain fragilities. The cocoa season posted a record output of 309,518 tonnes, but export volumes fell by 9%, despite an 18% increase in export value thanks to soaring global prices. Coffee followed a similar trend: production rose from 10,562 to 11,637 tonnes, while exported quantities dipped 2%, offset by a 3.9% revenue rise,” explained the head of the employers’ organisation.
Meanwhile, Cameroon continues to increase its food dependency. Maize imports climbed 4.5%, highlighting, according to GECAM, persistent difficulties in ensuring national food security. The industrial sector also struggles to act as an engine of economic transformation. Its growth creeps from 1.7% to 2%, while manufacturing slows from 2.9% to 2.2%. The business community attributes this to high energy costs, logistical hurdles, financing constraints, and a lack of competitiveness in the productive apparatus.
