Moving back to work in Cameroon from the diaspora

The diaspora in figures

There is no census of the diaspora, and figures vary tenfold depending on who is counted. The United Nations (UN DESA), quoted in the EUDiF diaspora factsheet for Cameroon, counts 409,677 people born in Cameroon and living abroad in 2024, about 1% of the population, 44.9% of them in the European Union. Official or campaigners' estimates, which include descendants and those naturalised abroad, are far higher: 5 million at the 2017 Diaspora Forum, 4 to 5 million according to the CEIDES think tank in 2019, and about 6 million in the Diasdev programme of the state Deposits and Consignments Fund, as reported in the press in 2026.

Remittances

Migrants' remittances nearly tripled in ten years according to the World Bank, peaking in 2023. They remain modest relative to GDP (1.29% in 2024); the EUDiF factsheet, which put them below 1% of GDP, sees this as one reason for the state's limited interest in its diaspora so far. Part of the money travels through informal channels and is missing from these figures.

The government now wants to channel these savings into investment: according to Camer.be (July 2026), the Diasdev programme of the Deposits and Consignments Fund (CDEC) aims to raise 2,000 billion CFA francs from the diaspora. The same article puts 2024 transfers at 652 billion CFA francs, a figure well above the World Bank's and with no stated source.

Does Cameroon ban dual nationality?

Yes, in law. Law No. 1968-LF-3 of 11 June 1968 on the Nationality Code, still in force, provides in section 31 that an adult Cameroonian who voluntarily acquires or retains a foreign nationality loses Cameroonian nationality. No formality is needed: the loss follows from naturalisation. Law No. 2011/013 on voting by Cameroonians abroad likewise excludes dual nationals, which the EUDiF factsheet describes as shutting out a large part of the diaspora.

In practice the rule is applied unevenly. The journalist Roland Tsapi (Camer.be, December 2019) called it “virtually” in force: ignored most of the time, invoked case by case, as when the Constitutional Council disqualified a parliamentary candidate in Wouri in 2019 over his French nationality. A lawyer interviewed by Camer.be said for his part that no negotiation on the subject was under way.

What it means for those naturalised abroad

A Cameroonian-born person who has become French, American or Canadian is, for the Cameroonian authorities, a foreigner: they enter on a visa obtained through the evisacam platform and, if they settle, fall under the rules for foreigners (residence card, and an approved work contract if employed). These steps are set out on the work permit page. No special status for people of Cameroonian origin was found in the texts consulted. The press regularly criticises the cost: Camer.be wrote in 2026 of a 100,000 CFA franc visa to return to one's native country, which matches the long-stay visa fee set in 2023.

Those who have kept Cameroonian nationality only come home on their passport and need no work authorisation. For public-sector jobs, Cameroonian nationality is required by the entrance exams (see the page on civil service exams).

Who helps returnees?

• The Ministry of External Relations (MINREX), the lead ministry, and within it the Directorate of Cameroonians Abroad, Foreigners in Cameroon, Refugees and Migration Issues. Embassies in Europe and North America often have a diaspora desk officer, but the EUDiF factsheet notes that little public information exists on what they offer.
• The Diaspora Forum (FODIAS), held from 26 to 30 June 2017 at the Yaoundé Conference Centre, which recommended a state secretariat for the diaspora and a skills database; a new MINREX forum brought diaspora representatives together in June 2026, according to Cameroon Tribune.
• A national diaspora mobilisation strategy being prepared by MINREX with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for 2025-2026, including a skills map and a directory of expatriate entrepreneurs and investors.
• The programme supporting the return and integration of young members of the diaspora (PARI-JEDII) and its DIALYJ strand, which funds joint ventures between young people abroad and at home: 27 projects backed for 399 million CFA francs by the end of 2023, according to EUDiF.
• DiasInvest 237 (MINREX, with the French Development Agency), open only to diaspora entrepreneurs based in France, and the CUD-Diaspora platform launched in 2023 by Douala city council to collect investment projects.

To set up a business from abroad or on return, the formalities are the same as for residents: see the pages on starting a business and funding a project.

Getting a foreign degree recognised

Equivalence for higher-education degrees earned abroad is handled by the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP), which rules on the advice of a national commission for the evaluation of foreign qualifications set up in 1993; the application form is published on the ministry's website. The commission checks that the institution is recognised in its own country, that it can actually deliver the course, and that offshore programmes are authorised by MINESUP. At its 88th session (September 2018) it examined 1,362 applications from some 40 countries, granted 1,341 equivalences and rejected 20 degrees found not to be genuine. The equivalence (or the receipt for the application) is required for civil service exams and recruitment.

Fees and processing times are not published on the pages consulted. For secondary-school qualifications, see the page on the education system.

“Bushfalling” and the brain drain

In the English-speaking regions, going abroad has been called “bushfalling” in Pidgin since the late 1990s, according to the anthropologist Maybritt Jill Alpes's thesis (University of Amsterdam, 2011): the image is of a hunter heading into the bush to track down game, that is, money, and bring back the trophies. The emigrant is a “bushfaller”. The sociologist Henrietta Nyamnjoh (University of Cape Town, 2021) shows that Cameroonian students choose their studies with emigration in mind. Camfranglais, for its part, calls the emigrant in Europe a “mbenguiste”.

Medicine is the hardest-hit sector. In July 2026 the president of the National Medical Council, Rodolphe Fonkoua, cited a Council survey finding that 5,000 Cameroonian doctors practise abroad against 4,000 at home, one doctor for every 30,000 people; he also mentioned about 750 doctors trained each year, a salary of about 175,000 CFA francs a month and 60 to 70% of young doctors out of work. A 2009 IOM study, quoted by EUDiF, estimated that 42% of Cameroonians working in Europe were highly qualified.

Frequently asked questions