Cameroon’s timber exports declined in 2025, but the structure of the sector remains largely unchanged, with sawn wood still leading shipments and raw logs continuing to find buyers despite mounting restrictions.
Data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) show that the country exported 762,007 tons of sawn wood in 2025, generating CFA157.6 billion in revenue. While this segment again accounted for the bulk of timber exports, both volumes and earnings were down compared with the 2021–2024 period.
Over those four years, sawn wood exports ranged between 895,572 tons and 1.5 million tons, with revenues between CFA170 billion and CFA212 billion. The INS does not detail the reasons behind the drop, but weaker demand from Asia and Europe—Cameroon’s main export markets—likely played a role.
That softer demand also weighed on log exports. Shipments fell to 349,611 tons in 2025, down by more than 100,000 tons year over year. This marks the lowest level in five years, compared with volumes ranging from 475,401 tons to about 919,000 tons between 2021 and 2024.
Even so, logs continue to hold ground on international markets despite increasingly restrictive policies. As part of a regional plan to ban log exports across Cemac—Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and the Central African Republic—by 2028, Cameroon has stepped up efforts to discourage raw timber exports and promote local processing.
The government has relied heavily on taxation to shift behavior. Between 2017 and 2024, export duties on logs rose from 17.5% to 75% of the FOB value, amounting to an overall increase of about 350%. Taxes on sawn wood have also risen, though more gradually, with a 165% increase between 2016 and 2023, according to the Cameroon Timber Industry Association (GFBC).
At the same time, authorities have introduced incentives to support domestic value addition. Since 2023, equipment used for wood processing has been exempt from import taxes, a measure renewed in subsequent budgets. The government has also set aside two industrial zones dedicated to wood processing in the eastern forest and mining region, covering a combined 224 hectares.
The impact of these measures is becoming visible, but results remain uneven. Log exports have dropped sharply over the past five years, falling from 958,300 tons in 2021 to 349,611 tons in 2025. Sawn wood exports have also declined, from 919,000 tons in 2021 to 762,007 tons in 2025.
By contrast, exports of veneer—a more processed wood product—have shown only modest growth. Shipments reached 53,511 tons in 2025, up slightly from 50,803 tons in 2024 and 50,293 tons in 2021.
Brice R. Mbodiam
