Economy of Cameroon: key figures, exports and regions

Main activities

• Cash cropCotton, managed by Sodecoton, together with the North.
• Food cropMillet and sorghum, rainy-season crops.
• Food cropIrrigated rice around the Maga dam, run by Semry.
• LivestockLivestock, an important activity in the north.

Emblem : The Maga dam and irrigated rice farming

INS — rapport CFSAM 2019Afcot — Sodecoton

Main activities

• Cash cropCotton: Sodecoton, based in Garoua, supports about 200,000 farming families together with the Far North.
• Food cropMaize, millet and rice.
• EnergyThe Lagdo dam on the Bénoué, built between 1977 and 1982, regulates the river and supports irrigation.
• FishingFishing on Lake Lagdo.

Emblem : Sodecoton, in Garoua

Afcot — SodecotonNew African Magazine — agribusinessWikipedia — Lagdo Reservoir

Main activities

• LivestockCattle farming, the region's main activity.
• TransportNgaoundéré is the northern terminus of the Transcamerounais railway: livestock is loaded there for the south.
• Cash cropCocoa has recently appeared there as a new production area, according to ONCC.

Emblem : Ngaoundéré station, terminus of the Transcamerounais

Wikipédia — TranscamerounaisBritannica — NgaoundéréInvestir au Cameroun — cacao en Adamaoua

Main activities

• ForestryForestry: the East is one of the country's main logged forest regions.
• MiningArtisanal gold, notably around Batouri, in the Kadey department.
• EnergyThe Lom Pangar dam, 88 km north of Bertoua, regulates the Sanaga and boosts output of the plants downstream.
• MiningLarge mining projects (Mbalam iron, Nkamouna cobalt): these are projects, not producing mines.

Emblem : The Lom Pangar dam

Forestry and mining output figures for the region could not be cross-checked: they are not published here.

Wikipédia — Barrage de Lom-PangarInvestir au Cameroun — projets miniersCIRAD — Mines en forêt au Cameroun

Main activities

• Cash cropCocoa: the Centre is the top producing region, with about 46% of the marketed output in 2024/25.
• IndustrySugar: Sosucam, at Mbandjock, produces more than 60,000 tonnes a year.
• EnergyThe Nachtigal dam on the Sanaga, 65 km north-east of Yaoundé: 420 MW, filled in 2023.

Emblem : The Nachtigal dam

ONCC — bilan cacao 2024/2025New African Magazine — agribusinessOsidimbea — Nachtigal

Main activities

• Cash cropRubber: Hevecam farms about 22,000 ha at Lokoundjé and Kribi.
• Cash cropPalm oil: Socapalm has its Mbambou and Kienké mills in the South.
• TransportKribi's deep-water port, opened in the 2010s, complements Douala's.
• EnergyThe Memve'ele dam on the Ntem has been partly in service since 2019.

Emblem : The Kribi deep-water port

Cocoa exists in the South but stays secondary (about 5% of purchases in 2017/18). Timber from the South could not be quantified.

Investir au Cameroun — HevecamWikipédia — SocapalmWikipédia — Port en eau profonde de Kribi

Main activities

• TransportDouala's port, the country's main maritime gateway, and the corridor to Chad and the Central African Republic.
• IndustryAluminium: Alucam, in Édéa, 67 km from Douala.
• IndustryBreweries, cement and agri-food industry, concentrated in Douala.
• Cash cropMoungo banana: PHP, at Njombé-Penja, is by far the country's top exporter.
• Cash cropCocoa: about 19% of the marketed output in 2024/25.

Emblem : The Port of Douala

Fishing in the Littoral is mentioned by sources without reliable figures: it is not detailed here.

Financial Afrik — ports de Douala et KribiWikipédia — Compagnie camerounaise d'aluminiumInvestir au Cameroun — PHP

Main activities

• Cash cropArabica coffee, in the Bandjoun, Bafoussam and Baham area. The UCCAO cooperative now processes part of the harvest there.
• Food cropMarket gardening: potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, notably around Foumbot.

Emblem : The UCCAO coffee plant, in Bafoussam

Regions Francophones — OuestLa Voix des Entreprises — UCCAO

Main activities

• Cash cropArabica coffee, grown on the Grassfields highlands.
• Food cropMaize, potatoes and beans.
• LivestockCattle, pigs and poultry.

Emblem : The Bamenda coffee processing unit

The crisis affecting the North-West and South-West since 2016 weighs on these regions' economy. The North-West's exact share of national arabica could not be cross-checked.

Wikipédia — Caféiculture au CamerounInvestir au Cameroun — usine de café de BamendaCameroon Tribune — la crise et l'économie

Main activities

• Cash cropThe CDC (Cameroon Development Corporation), based at Bota-Limbe, grows bananas, rubber and oil palm on about 41,000 ha.
• Cash cropPalm oil: Pamol, at Lobé.
• Cash cropCocoa: about 20% of the marketed output in 2024/25.
• IndustrySONARA, in Limbe, is the country's only refinery. A fire partly destroyed it on 31 May 2019 and its restart is under way.

Emblem : SONARA, Cameroon's only refinery

CDC CameroonInvestir au Cameroun — relance de la SonaraNew African Magazine — agribusiness