Cameroon’s trade deficit with Iran and several Gulf countries narrowed in 2024, but the country remains heavily reliant on energy imports from the region.
According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the deficit with Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates stood at CFA156.7 billion in 2024, down from CFA231.58 billion a year earlier. The improvement reflects lower import levels, but does not signal a structural shift in trade dynamics.
Imports from the region reached CFA182.7 billion in 2024, a 22% decline year-on-year, accounting for 3.7% of Cameroon’s total imports.
Over a longer period, these flows remained relatively modest between 2010 and 2019, averaging around CFA45 billion annually, before falling during the pandemic and then surging to CFA236.9 billion in 2023.
The structure of imports remains highly concentrated. Crude oil and bituminous minerals alone accounted for CFA92 billion in 2024, more than half of the total. Other imports included hydraulic cement (CFA10 billion), frozen fish (CFA9.8 billion), and polyethylene polymers.
This trade is also geographically concentrated. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia together supplied 88% of exports from the region to Cameroon. Their shares in Cameroon’s total imports stood at 1.8% and 1.4%, respectively.
Cameroon’s exports to the region, though still limited, rebounded sharply in 2024. They rose from CFA5.4 billion in 2023 to CFA26 billion, representing 0.8% of total exports.
This increase was driven largely by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which generated CFA18.9 billion in revenue and accounted for 73% of exports to the region.
Wood exports also remained significant, despite a shift in their relative weight. Shipments of sawn and raw timber increased from CFA4.29 billion in 2023 to CFA6.2 billion in 2024. However, their share of exports to the region fell from 79% to 24%, as LPG gained prominence.
Other exports—including crude oil, gold, and diamonds—remained marginal, according to customs data.
Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as Cameroon’s main export destination in the Gulf, accounting for an average of 50.3% of export revenues from the region. Kuwait follows with 27%, and Saudi Arabia with 18%.
In the UAE, imports were long dominated by wood, which still accounted for 82% of Cameroon’s exports to that market in 2023. By 2024, that share had dropped sharply to 17%, reflecting a rapid shift in export composition. Gold, which represented 7% in 2023, became negligible the following year.
While trade volumes with Iran and the Gulf remain relatively small, they carry strategic importance. Cameroon’s dependence on imported hydrocarbons from the region leaves it exposed to geopolitical tensions and swings in global energy prices.
This creates a dual effect: higher global prices can boost export revenues from products like crude oil, LPG, and timber, but they also increase the cost of energy imports, with potential ripple effects on inflation, production costs, and household purchasing power.
Overall, INS data underscores the strategic nature of these trade flows. They highlight Cameroon’s reliance on key inputs while pointing to the need for broader diversification in both trading partners and export structure.
Amina Malloum
