President Paul Biya signed a decree on May 4, 2026, authorizing the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development to secure a €15.9 million loan, or about CFA10.4 billion, from Deutsche Bank Spain.
The financing will support the construction of an industrial slaughterhouse in Maroua, the capital of the Far North region. The facility aims to structure the livestock-meat sector, improve sanitary conditions for slaughter and storage, and strengthen the cold chain. The project should also create jobs in a region where livestock plays a central role in the local economy.
Its implementation comes as cattle production declines. Official data show output fell from 94,300 tons in 2024 to less than 69,000 tons in 2025, a sharp drop that affects both urban supply and herders’ income.
Technical details and the project timeline have not yet been disclosed. The new facility forms part of a broader policy to modernize slaughter infrastructure.
In 2017, Cameroon inaugurated its first industrial slaughterhouse in Yaoundé. The facility includes a 6,000 cubic meter cold storage unit with capacity for 10,000 carcasses of 200 kg each.
A year later, another slaughterhouse with similar capacity entered service in Ngaoundéré, in the Adamawa region, the country’s main livestock hub. The government also plans additional facilities in Kribi and Ebolowa in the South region, as well as in Douala in the Littoral region and Bamenda in the Northwest.
Through this program, authorities aim to establish an industrial slaughter chain that improves meat quality, reduces post-slaughter losses, and supports higher national production.
Frédéric Nonos
