Investment in Cameroon increased by 5.1% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, according to a report by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) published on April 1, 2026. This growth is mainly due to a sharp increase in public investment, which jumped by 33.7%.
The INS emphasizes that this performance of the public sector contrasts with a 1.4% contraction in private investment. The decline in private investment is even more marked on a quarterly basis, with a decrease of 9.5% between the second and third quarters of 2025. This decrease is attributed to a drop in demand for certain investment goods and services, particularly in the transport equipment, furniture, and professional services sectors.
Due to this underperformance of the private sector, overall investment fell by 2.9% between the second and third quarters of 2025. However, the INS notes that investments in buildings and public works, as well as in the manufacture of machinery and electrical appliances, helped to partially mitigate this decline.
The Cameroonian government is relying on a national development strategy (NDS30) to create an environment conducive to investment and stimulate job creation. This strategy emphasizes support for local production, infrastructure development, and the use of technology for growth and employment. In 2023 and 2024, Cameroon extended its investment incentives to agricultural, drinking water, and renewable energy projects.
Cameroon's 2026 budget forecasts expenditures of 8,816.4 billion FCFA, an increase of more than 1,000 billion FCFA compared to 2025. The government plans to cover a deficit of 631 billion FCFA through various borrowings. The Minister of Finance announced that Cameroon's economy is expected to grow by over 4% in 2025, with public debt projected at 42% of GDP, a figure below the 70% threshold set by CEMAC.
While public investment supports growth, challenges remain, including the need to mobilize resources for the country's investment program, control debt costs, modernize the productive sector, and integrate young people and women into the growth process.
