Cameroon is stepping up its efforts to limit the export of raw timber. A ministerial decree dated April 28, 2026, signed by the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Jules Doret Ndongo, updated the classification of forest species authorized for export in log form. This revision increases the number of species whose export is prohibited from 76 to 91. Simultaneously, 23 species remain exportable under the "promotion species" regime, subject to a surcharge on unprocessed forest products. Among these, 14 are classified in the first category and 9 in the second category. Azobé/Bongossi is now subject to a specific regime, with export quotas allocated by the ministry.
This measure is part of a broader regional approach. The States of CEMAC (Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa) and the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed, at the Council of Ministers in Bangui in February 2024, to a gradual ban on log exports, aiming for a total ban by January 1, 2028. Cameroon, like the other CEMAC countries, has gradually started implementing this ban since January 1, 2025. Thus, the MINFOF decree represents a further step in an already established timetable.
The main objective of the Cameroonian government is to reduce exports of raw timber and increase those of processed products, following both an industrial and commercial logic. To do this, Cameroon has increased taxes on logs to make their export less attractive. Between 2017 and 2024, export duties on logs rose from 17.5% to 75% of the FOB value. At the same time, the State has put in place incentives to support local processing, including tax exemptions on certain wood processing equipment and the provision of 224 hectares of dedicated industrial zones in the Eastern region.
This forest policy marks a shift from an export-based rent economy to a value-added economy. Raw timber generates income, but less than an industry capable of producing sawn timber, peeling, veneer, furniture and other higher value products. The State seeks to accelerate this transition by combining progressive bans, surcharges on logs and benefits for companies investing in local processing. This strategy also aims to strengthen local employment, tax revenues and industrial investment.
The first results of this policy are beginning to show in foreign trade figures. According to data from the INS (National Institute of Statistics), Cameroon's log exports fell to 349,611 tonnes in 2025, a decrease of more than 100,000 tonnes compared to the previous year. This volume is the lowest recorded in five years, after figures ranging between 475,401 and 958,300 tonnes between 2021 and 2024. At the same time, sawn timber dominates the sector's exports, indicating an increase in primary processing.
However, this strategy is not without risk. While restricting log exports is supposed to encourage local industrial investment, it requires operators to have the technical, energy, logistical and financial capacities needed to increase processing locally. It also requires rigorous administrative control to prevent the ban from encouraging fraud. The challenge for the State is therefore to make the industrial alternative credible and profitable.
Cameroon is making a strategic economic choice: to sacrifice part of the income from the export of raw timber in order to develop a more integrated timber industry. The decree of April 28, 2026 reinforces this orientation. As the January 1, 2028 deadline approaches, the crucial question is whether the local production system will be ready to process enough wood so that the total ban results in real value creation, and not just an additional constraint for the sector.
