- (Business in Cameroon) – Since the 2016 entry into force of the EU–Cameroon Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Cameroon increased its EU market share in cocoa paste (+1.53 pts) and cocoa butter (+0.55 pts), while losing 2.92 pts in raw beans.
- Cameroon’s processing capacity surged thanks to major investments by SIC Cacaos, Neo Industry, Atlantic Cocoa and Africa Processing, pushing national transformation to a record 109,431 tonnes in 2024–2025.
- Atlantic Cocoa launched a CFA10-billion expansion in June 2025 to raise its capacity from 48,000 to 64,000 tonnes.
Cameroon increased its footprint in Europe’s cocoa derivatives market even as its share of raw bean exports to the European Union continued to erode, according to a competitiveness report from the Ministry of Economy’s Committee on Competitiveness.
The data show that raw cocoa beans still dominate Cameroon’s export volumes to the EU. However, since the EU–Cameroon Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) took effect in 2016, the country has gained market share in cocoa paste and butter while losing ground in whole beans.
The report compares the pre-EPA period (2010–2015) with the post-EPA years (2017–2024). It states that Cameroon’s cocoa paste gained 1.53 percentage points of EU market share, while cocoa butter rose by 0.55 points. Over the same timeframe, the country’s raw beans lost 2.92 points of market share.
These shifts reflect a competitiveness boost for Cameroon’s cocoa processing industry under the EPA framework. The agreement progressively dismantles tariffs on EU imports while granting ACP countries—such as Cameroon—preferential access to the EU market.
Industry growth accelerated as new grinders entered the market and existing processors expanded capacity. SIC Cacaos, the Cameroonian subsidiary of Swiss group Barry Callebaut, invested CFA5 billion in 2015 to expand its Douala plant from 32,000 to 50,000 tonnes.
Neo Industry, launched in Kékem by businessman Emmanuel Neossi, entered the sector with 32,000 tonnes of capacity and plans to triple this output. In 2020, Ivorian investor Koné Dossongui inaugurated Atlantic Cocoa in the Kribi industrial zone with 48,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
Atlantic Cocoa held a kick-off meeting on 27 June 2025 for its expansion project in Kribi. The company aims to increase capacity to 64,000 tonnes through a new investment of nearly CFA10 billion, according to sources familiar with the project.
Africa Processing, which entered the market during the 2022–2023 season in Mbankomo near Yaoundé, reports annual output of 8,000 tonnes of cocoa derivatives.
These investments pushed Cameroon’s processing industry to a record output level. The National Cocoa and Coffee Office (ONCC) says national cocoa transformation exceeded 100,000 tonnes for the first time in the 2024–2025 season, reaching 109,431 tonnes.
This article was initially published in French by BRM
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
