(Business in Cameroon) – Between 2010 and 2023, Cameroon’s spending on pharmaceutical imports rose sharply, from CFA69.5 billion to CFA166.6 billion, according to a report by the Competitiveness Committee, a specialized unit of the Ministry of Economy. This represents a 139.7% increase, highlighting the country’s heavy reliance on foreign pharmaceutical products.
The report did not specify the quantities imported or the countries of origin during this period. However, data from Cameroon’s National Institute of Statistics (INS) shows that in 2023, Cameroon imported 4.2 tons of medicines (including veterinary drugs) from the European Union, worth CFA62.9 billion. France was the leading supplier within the EU, exporting 2.017 tons of medicines valued at CFA28.5 billion.
India was also a major supplier in 2023. INS data indicates that pharmaceutical imports from India accounted for 7% of the trade volume, with a total value of CFA39.5 billion. In addition to these legal imports, smuggling and counterfeit drugs continue to flood the market, putting local pharmaceutical businesses under significant pressure.
Despite talks of import substitution and promoting local production, Cameroon continues to import over 90% of its pharmaceutical needs, according to official figures. Local producers struggle to capture more than CFA8 billion of a market valued at over CFA125 billion. During a meeting with the Minister of Trade on October 1, 2021, Loe Gisèle Etame, President of the Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, noted that local production units were operating at just 20% of their capacity.
Dr. Prosper Hiag, Chairman of the Board of Africure Pharmaceuticals Cameroon (APC), a Douala-based drug manufacturing unit, said the situation has worsened in recent years due to financial difficulties at the National Center for Essential Medicines Supply (Cename). According to Dr. Hiag, Cename, which imported medicines worth CFA15 billion in 2011, spent only CFA3 billion on the local market in 2020.
To reverse this trend, local pharmaceutical manufacturers have urged the government to facilitate access to public procurement. They suggest that specific public health needs should be met through national tenders reserved for local manufacturers, depending on their production capacity.
