Cameroon generated CFA385.3 billion in export revenue from cocoa butter, cocoa paste, chocolate, and other cocoa-based products in 2025, with total shipments reaching 99,190 tons. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), this marks an increase of CFA67.4 billion compared with 2024, when revenues stood at CFA317.9 billion for 90,614 tons exported.
The growth in 2025 was largely driven by cocoa paste, which accounted for the largest share of earnings. Export volumes rose by 11,733 tons, from 61,527 tons in 2024 to 73,261 tons in 2025. This increase generated CFA261.3 billion in revenue, up by CFA51.3 billion year-on-year.
Cocoa butter also supported the overall performance. Cameroon exported 21,494 tons in 2025, generating CFA115.5 billion. In 2024, exports totaled 24,819 tons for CFA99.2 billion. Despite a drop of 3,325 tons in volume, revenue rose by CFA16.3 billion, likely due to higher international prices during the year.
In contrast, exports of chocolate and other cocoa-based products declined slightly. They reached 4,435 tons in 2025, generating CFA8.4 billion. Compared with the previous year, this represents a decrease of 167 tons and CFA325 million in value.
A growing industrial base
The rise in processed exports reflects structural changes in Cameroon’s cocoa industry over the past decade. Since 2015, new processing companies such as Neo Industry, Atlantic Cocoa, and Africa Processing have entered the market, while existing operators have expanded their capacity. This includes SIC Cacaos, a subsidiary of Switzerland’s Barry Callebaut.
As a result, local processing has steadily increased. According to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), Cameroon surpassed the symbolic threshold of 100,000 tons of cocoa beans processed locally for the first time during the 2024–2025 season.
This shift is also improving Cameroon’s position in global markets. A competitiveness report from the Ministry of Economy shows that the country ranked as the world’s seventh-largest exporter of cocoa paste and ninth for cocoa butter in 2024.
A more strategic sector
Cocoa’s contribution to Cameroon’s export earnings is no longer driven solely by raw bean exports. In 2025, the country exported 162,257 tons of cocoa beans, generating CFA810.1 billion, an increase of CFA127.6 billion compared with the previous year. However, this performance increasingly reflects the rise of local processing.
In other words, Cameroon is gradually moving beyond raw exports to capture more value through industrial transformation, reinforcing the strategic role of the cocoa sector in the national economy.
Brice R. Mbodiam
