Cameroon has presented itself as an investment-ready economy at the Invest in Africa forum in Paris, with the Minister of Water Resources and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, signalling a shift from untapped potential to structured, bankable opportunities. Addressing business leaders and economic stakeholders convened by the French Investors Council in Africa, the minister outlined the country’s transition into an accelerated growth phase, aimed at attracting productive investment and strengthening industrial capacity.
The pitch comes as Cameroon records economic growth estimated at around 4%, reinforcing its role as a leading economy within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). Beyond headline figures, authorities are prioritising sectors with high multiplier effects, including energy, infrastructure, agro-industry and digital services. With a domestic market of more than 30 million people and access to the African Continental Free Trade Area, the country is positioning itself as a regional platform capable of integrating into continental value chains while supporting rising demand across Central Africa.
“We do not come to speak to you about potential. We come to present concrete opportunities,” Minister Eloundou Essomba told investors.
The energy sector remains central to this strategy, with hydroelectric capacity identified as a key comparative advantage. Cameroon holds significant hydroelectric potential, and the government says it intends to expand generation capacity to underpin industrial expansion and meet surging regional demand. The Nachtigal hydropower dam, a public-private partnership involving international financiers is cited as evidence that large-scale, bankable transactions are deliverable.
Alongside energy, authorities highlighted infrastructure expansion and agro-industrial transformation as priority areas designed to boost productivity and local value addition. Officials maintain that the government is simultaneously advancing reforms aimed at improving the business environment, including streamlined administrative procedures, increased digitalisation of public services, and enhanced incentives for private investment through public-private partnerships. These measures are intended to reduce transaction costs and improve project execution timelines.
Mercy Fosoh
