Doha – Morocco became the leading African supplier to Cameroon in 2022 according to the latest report on Cameroon’s foreign trade, recently released by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
The report indicates that imports from African countries account for 12.2% of Cameroon’s total import expenditure, with Morocco positioning itself at the top of this sub-group, holding a 1.4% share, followed by Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon.
In 2022, Morocco sent 319,200 tons of goods to Cameroon, more than triple the previous year’s exports. This volume, valued at 70.5 billion CFA francs (approximately 109 million euros), represents 1.4% of Cameroon’s total imports from African countries.
The volume of goods imported from Morocco surpasses that of Equatorial Guinea (62,900 tons worth 38 billion CFA francs), which held the top spot in supplying the Cameroonian market within the region in 2021.
Morocco also outperformed Côte d’Ivoire (110,000 tons worth 60.6 billion CFA francs) and Gabon (63,100 tons worth 58 billion CFA francs).
Despite the significant growth in export volumes from Morocco, there remains substantial potential for further development.
China continues to lead as Cameroon’s main global supplier, although it has lost 1.2 percentage points. With 903,000 tons of goods delivered and a turnover of 755.8 billion CFA francs, China alone accounts for 15.8% of Cameroon’s total imports in value.
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Economic exchanges between Cameroon and Morocco are diverse and dynamic. Cameroon exports a wide range of agricultural products to Morocco, including cocoa, bananas, coffee, cotton, rubber, and wood.
Since 2007, Morocco’s National Office of Drinking Water (ONEP) has been managing water supply in Cameroon through Camwater. Additionally, since 2009, Attijariwafa Bank (AWB) has been operating in the Cameroonian market, and Moroccan companies such as the engineering firm Al Khibra have been undertaking co-development projects in Cameroon.
The growing economic cooperation between Morocco and Cameroon is not limited to trade alone. Last year, the first edition of the Morocco-Cameroon Economic Meetings on wood and leather was held in Rabat with the aim of boosting cooperation between the two countries and promoting Cameroon as an investment destination for Moroccan investors.
These meetings highlighted the potential for enhancing exchanges between Morocco and Cameroon, particularly in the wood and leather sectors, which are among the nine priority sectors identified by the Cameroonian government in its 2020-2030 National Development Strategy (SND).
Cameroon’s strategic location, with access to the markets of landlocked countries such as Chad and the Central African Republic, as well as its extensive border with Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and most populous country, makes it an attractive investment destination. Investing in Cameroon means positioning oneself in a rapidly expanding regional market with strong potential.
