Cameroon is halfway through its 2020-2030 National Development Strategy (SND30) and presents a mixed assessment. Despite a challenging international and security context, the country has managed to maintain its macroeconomic balances and initiate structural reforms. However, growth remains below targets, poverty reduction is limited, and several sectoral indicators show delays.
The SND30, adopted in 2020, serves as the roadmap for the second phase of Cameroon's transformation towards becoming an emerging, democratic, and united nation. This strategy relies on a participatory approach involving administrations, parliamentarians, decentralized territorial communities, the private sector, and civil society. The National Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (CNSE) and collaboration with the World Bank also play a significant role in this process.
The implementation of the SND30 has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and recent geopolitical tensions. In addition to these external shocks, internal security challenges have arisen, particularly in the Far North, North West, and South West regions.
On the macroeconomic front, growth remained positive between 2020 and 2025, fluctuating between 0.3% and 3.8%. However, it remained well below the 8.5% target set for 2025. The budget deficit was contained at -1.4% of GDP, reflecting some budgetary discipline. After peaking at -5.2% of GDP in 2023, the current account deficit was reduced to -2.8% in 2025. Nevertheless, credit to the economy, representing 17.5% of GDP, remains below forecasts, hindering the dynamism of the private sector.
Regarding poverty and inequality, progress is considered insufficient. The goal of reducing the poverty rate to 25% by 2030 appears ambitious, given that 37.7% of the population, or approximately 10.1 million people, lived below the poverty line in 2022. Poverty remains primarily rural, affecting 56.3% of the rural population, but it is also increasing in urban areas. Inequalities remain significant, with a Gini index of 0.4 in 2022, while the target is 0.34 in 2030. Regional disparities persist, particularly in the Far North, North, and North West.
In the rural sector, growth in the primary sector remained moderate, reaching 3.6% in 2025, compared to a target of 7.6%. Productivity is stagnating, and the share of the primary sector in exports is decreasing. Manufacturing industries are struggling to develop, with their share in GDP remaining below 14%, far from the expected 19.9%. Additional efforts are needed to improve competitiveness and implement coherent reforms.
Despite persistent challenges, the SND30 remains a relevant framework for Cameroon's development. Its success will depend on more effective, better-coordinated implementation focused on tangible results for inclusive growth and structural transformation of the country.
