The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is positioning itself as a key financial partner for Cameroon, injecting over FCFA 600 billion into the Cameroonian economy since 2024. This announcement was made on February 19, 2026, in Douala by the Minister of Finance, during the presentation of the State's financing program for the year 2026.
Louis Paul Motazé emphasized the importance of this financial support: "I would also like to pay solemn tribute to our strategic partner Afreximbank. Since 2024, this great pan-African institution has mobilized, for the benefit of the State and the Cameroonian private sector, cumulative facilities amounting to more than FCFA 600 billion. In a demanding international context, this constant support demonstrates a strong and assumed confidence in Cameroon's potential and signature".
Afreximbank's financing in Cameroon is mainly directed towards the State. This includes the currency swap (conversion of euros into FCFA) which allowed the government to raise FCFA 200 billion through the issuance of public securities on the BEAC market in June 2025. The bank also provided a guarantee to the State to mobilize FCFA 159 billion from local banks in 2025, and granted three loans totaling FCFA 96 billion to finance a solar photovoltaic electrification project in 200 localities.
Afreximbank, which opened its regional office for Central Africa in Yaoundé in 2021, is gradually investing in the Cameroonian private sector. In particular, it financed nearly FCFA 2 billion for the maturation studies of the project to build a bitumen production plant in Kribi, carried out by the company All Bitumen PLC. The construction of this plant, estimated at FCFA 161 billion, should also benefit from Afreximbank's financial support. Since the end of 2024, Afreximbank has signed an arranger mandate with All Bitumen PLC, allowing it to participate in the financing and mobilize other financial partners for this project.
Afreximbank plays a key role in financing intra-African trade and supports the industrialization policies, economic diversification and economic sovereignty of African countries. Since September 2025, it has been headed by Cameroonian George Elombi. Cameroon is doubly linked to Afreximbank, as a direct shareholder state and via the Caisse nationale de prévoyance sociale (CNPS), a category B shareholder with an investment of FCFA 700 million, giving it a seat on the board of directors.
Afreximbank plans to build an ultramodern regional headquarters in Yaoundé to strengthen its financial and trade finance operations in Central Africa. The bank also plans to develop a reference medical center in partnership with the CNPS. In January 2024, Afreximbank signed a EUR 200 million financing facility to support the implementation of Cameroon's National Development Strategy.
In 2024, Afreximbank financed about 3% of total intra-African trade and facilitated a nearly US$8.7 billion increase in the value of intra-African trade.
