February 27, 2026, marks a significant date in Cameroon's economic landscape with the groundbreaking ceremony for the Samen Industry S.A. cocoa processing plant in Bare-Bakem, Moungo department, Littoral region. The event was presided over by the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, and his counterpart from Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe.
This new plant is part of a growing trend of local cocoa processing. Cameroon now processes more than 80% of its cocoa production locally, a figure described as a "world record" by Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana. This exceeding of the initial target of 40% demonstrates the efforts made to develop the sector.
With an annual capacity of 32,000 tons of beans, the Samen Industry S.A. unit will strengthen the country's industrial infrastructure, in line with the National Development Strategy SND30 and the government's import-substitution policy. Beyond the figures, this industrialization aims to create added value for the benefit of all actors in the chain, particularly producers.
The Minister of Trade stressed the need to protect against speculation and opacity in international commodity markets through local processing. He also called on industrialists to open up the capital of their companies to producer cooperatives, for a more equitable distribution of profits.
The government plans to bring together stakeholders in the sector before July 2026 to define a national cocoa policy, aimed at rebalancing profits and preserving the quality of Cameroonian cocoa. Recognition of this quality was illustrated by the gold medal won at the Cocoa of Excellence Awards in Amsterdam on February 20, 2026.
The Baré-Bakem ceremony brought together administrative authorities and key players in the sector, including Michael Ndoping, Director General of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), Samuel Donatien Nengue, Administrator of the Cocoa and Coffee Sectors Development Fund (FODECC), and Omer Maledy, Executive Secretary of the Interprofessional Council for Cocoa and Coffee (CICC).
In 2024-2025, Cameroon produced 309,000 tons of cocoa, of which 109,000 were processed locally. The country aims to reach a production of 300,000 tons by 2026.
