(Business in Cameroon) – Between 2018 and 2025, Cameroon undertook an ambitious transformation of its industrial base, placing economic diversification at the core of its development strategy. The period has been marked by steady modernization efforts but also by shocks from a turbulent global economy.
The industrial sector showed resilience. In 2024, manufacturing value added reached 13.9% of GDP, a steady rise but still below the 25% target set by the National Development Strategy 2030 (SND30). Industry, particularly manufacturing and construction, contributed significantly to the 3.5% GDP growth recorded in 2024.
In 2024, manufacturing value added reached 13.9% of GDP, a steady rise but still below the 25% target set by the National Development Strategy 2030 (SND30). Industry, particularly manufacturing and construction, contributed significantly to the 3.5% GDP growth recorded in 2024.
Manufacturing benefited from investments in processing local raw materials. The Kribi industrial-port complex, operational since March 2018 under a 20-year concession, has become a logistics hub with traffic of 1.2 million TEUs. In agro-industry, projects such as Atlantic Cocoa’s cocoa processing plant in Kribi, owned by Ivorian billionaire Koné Dossongui, and Nestlé Cameroon’s upgraded Douala plant in June 2025 reflect this drive toward industrialization.
The Ivorian entrepreneur Koné Dossongui has launched his cocoa bean processing plant in the Kribi industrial-port zone.
External shocks slowed progress. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains, raised costs, and delayed projects. The war in Ukraine from 2022 triggered sharp cost increases. Construction materials soared, with steel prices up 80–90%. Fuel shortages forced civil engineering firms to scale down activity or place staff on technical leave. In 2022, industrial producer prices rose 13.3%, the highest since 2018, with manufacturing prices up 8.6% due to dependence on imported inputs such as wheat, milk, and clinker.
Energy projects expanded capacity. Gas plants at Kribi and Dibamba, along with hydroelectric dams at Memve’ele and Mekin, boosted supply. The Lom Pangar dam, with a 6 billion m³ reservoir, raised output by 120 MW. Nachtigal hydro plant, with 420 MW capacity, began supplying power in June 2024 and reached full output in March 2025. Work on the Nachtigal–Douala transmission line, due for completion in late 2025, aims to connect Douala’s industries.
Work on the Nachtigal–Douala transmission line, due for completion in late 2025, aims to connect Douala’s industries.
Telecommunications also advanced, with 18,000 km of fiber optic cables laid since 2018, strengthening digital access and positioning Cameroon for the global digital economy.
Around 18,000 km of fiber optic cables have been laid since 2018.
But structural weaknesses remain. Oil production continued to decline, dropping 8.2% in 2024 after -4.3% in 2023, due to lack of new discoveries and insufficient investment. Cameroon became a net oil importer in 2024, a turning point that highlights the urgency of diversification and the need to scale up non-oil industries.
