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Cameroon economy faces slow growth and debt absorption challenges
Cameroon's economy is facing structural challenges characterized by slow growth and debt management issues. According to the CEMAC economic barometer, the country's real GDP grew by only 3.2% in 2025, a performance hindered by post-election unrest and confinement measures. The current account deficit widened to 4.2% of GDP, while the budget deficit increased to 2.2% of GDP.
Public debt remains a significant concern. As of late September 2025, the official public debt stood at 14,591 billion FCFA, reaching 44.3% of GDP by March 2026. A critical issue identified is a lack of absorption capacity; over 5,000 billion FCFA in committed external financing remains unspent due to a failure to mobilize national counterparts. This has led to a situation where the state must borrow more expensively on markets to cover emergencies.
On a positive note, inflation fell to 3.4% in December 2025, prompting the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) to reduce its key interest rate from 4.75% to 4.5% in June 2026 to support economic activity.
Entities
BEAC · CEMAC · Caisse autonome d'amortissement · Cameroon · Financial Action Task Force · International Monetary Fund · National Anti-Corruption Commission · National Financial Investigation Agency
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 2.2% fr.journalducameroun.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 44.3% www.camer.be
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 4.5% fr.journalducameroun.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 14,591 billion FCFA www.camer.be
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 4.2% fr.journalducameroun.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 3.4% fr.journalducameroun.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 5,000 billion FCFA www.camer.be
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 3.2% fr.journalducameroun.com