2025 Country Report on Cameroon: the African Development Bank Urges the Country to Strengthen Capital Mobilization for Sustainable Growth
Country reports form part of the African Development Bank's African Economic Outlook 2025 which provides an annual assessment of the economic performance and outlook of the continent's 54 countries by examining growth trends, socio-economic challenges, and development progress. The 2025 AEO report was released last May during the Bank Group's Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, under the theme 'Maximizing Africa's Capital for Sustainable Development.
'Making Cameroon's Capital Work Better for its Development,' highlights the levers that will enable the country to strengthen domestic resource mobilization and boost inclusive and resilient growth. It calls on the government, the private sector, civil society, and development and financial partners to collectively re the drivers of the country's structural transformation.
The ceremony was attended by members of the Cameroonian government, notably representatives from the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Trade as well as the business sector.
The report paints a picture of an economy in recovery, with estimated growth of 3.6 percent in 2024, mainly by continued investment in infrastructure and strong momentum in manufacturing industries, which have benefited from efforts to transform local agricultural and textile products. The country paper relies on a detailed analysis to identify sectors where Cameroon can make progress, particularly in mobilizing domestic resources, strengthening governance, improving the business climate, digitalization and optimizing its natural capital potential.
The report also identifies several priority reforms to enable Cameroon to transform its potential into concrete growth drivers, including reducing tax exemptions and accelerating digitalization, restructuring strategic public corporations, particularly in the energy and refining sectors.
Report findings also stress the importance of strengthening governance, transparency and the rule of law through greater accountability and the publication of the financial statements of public corporations. This includes the need to adopt the National Integrated Financing Strategy (SNFI) to diversify funding sources and leverage carbon market opportunities.
Consolidating the financial sector, processing commodities locally and developing regional infrastructure round out the list of priorities. Finally, the report calls for preserving macroeconomic balances by gradually reducing fuel price subsidies at the pump while supporting investment spending, prioritizing concessional financing, accelerating development in insecure areas and strengthening budgetary capacity to better absorb shocks.
Ameth Saloum Ndiaye, African Development Bank Senior Country Economist for Cameroon and Godwill Kan Tange, Country Economist for Cameroon, presented the report's main findings. They emphasized the report's concrete proposals to optimize the use of budgetary resources, as well as the country's natural, human and financial capital, with a view to stimulating more inclusive and sustainable growth.
The presentation also explored key issues such as public corporation reform, governance, debt management, industrial development, vocational training and the challenges of mobilizing innovative financing, as well as sovereign debt ratings for African economies.
'The African Development Bank Group commends the Cameroonian authorities for their commitment to implementing a National Integrated Financing Strategy, which is currently being adopted and should enable the country to diversify financing sources for its development agenda. This means that the report is fully aligned with the government's priorities,' said Mamadou Tangara , Head of Operations, speaking on behalf of the Bank's Director General for Central Africa.
The Secretary General of Cameroon's Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Jean Tchoffo, representing the Bank's Governor for Cameroon, welcomed the Bank's recommendations, which are aligned with the National Development Strategy 2030 (SND30).
'This report comes at a key moment, as we are conducting a mid-term review of the implementation of our National Development Strategy 2020-2030,' Tchoffo said . 'We are convinced that its recommendations will enrich our thinking and strengthen our efforts to return to solid, sustainable and inclusive growth and accelerate the structural transformation of our economy.'
By presenting the Cameroon Country Report 2025, the African Development Bank supports Cameroon's push for structural transformation, stronger capital mobilization, and resilient growth.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Kenyan women and likeability in the workplace: 'I felt an unspoken pressure to smile'
During a meeting at her office in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, 24-year-old Faith suddenly became nervous - reluctant to be perceived as difficult in a part of the world that does not like opinionated young had started pleasantly enough. Faith, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, had dutifully laughed along at the bad jokes made by her then a senior colleague made a suggestion that she felt would not work practically. But before Faith could express her opinion, her colleague mentioned her name."And Faith agrees with me!" The others in the meeting room turned to face her as her colleague added: "You agree, don't you?"Faith did not agree, but felt under pressure: "I didn't want to be seen as difficult or moody."I felt an unspoken pressure to smile, to be agreeable, to not be disruptive," she tells that point she was two years into her first job at a sought-after company and among the first women in her family's generation to go to university - she had so much more she wanted to achieve."How do I progress if I start disagreeing with colleagues at such a junior stage?" she is aware she faces what a Women in the Workplace 2025 report, which focuses on India, Nigeria and Kenya, calls "the broken rung". This refers to a significant barrier on the corporate ladder that has seen a steep drop in women's representation between entry-level and management in May by McKinsey, the management consultancy has for the first time expanded its annual research beyond North America and found that in these three big developing economies, women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership Kenya, women make up 50% of entry-level roles in sectors such as healthcare and financial services, but that drops to just 26% at senior levels. The pattern is similar in Nigeria and did not challenge her colleague in the meeting. She smiled and said nothing. There is now a term for her experience - experts call it "likeability labour"."[This] is a really fun name for an incredibly depressing reality," says Amy Kean, a sociologist and head of the communications consultancy Good Shout, which coined the term."It refers to the constant second-guessing, overthinking, paranoia, shape-shifting and masking women do every single day in order to be liked in the workplace."Ms Kean's UK-based study - Shapeshifters: What We Do to Be Liked at Work - which also came out in May, states that 56% of women feel pressure to be likeable at work, compared to just 36% of on a survey of 1,000 women across the UK, the report also highlights how deeply ingrained, and unequally distributed, the burden of likeability is in professional details how women often feel the need to soften their speech using minimising language, even when confident in their phrases include: "Does that make sense?" or "Sorry, just quickly..."This kind of constant self-editing, Ms Kean explains, may act as a defence mechanism to avoid being seen as abrasive or overly assertive."There is also a class element to this," she adds, in reference to the UK. "Working-class women, who are less used to modulating themselves in different settings, also get accused of being direct and also suffer in the corporate world."For many women who are not used to advocating for themselves in their personal environments, the stakes go beyond fitting in or being well-liked."It's not as simple as being popular, it's about being safe, heard and taken seriously," Ms Kean this year, she organised a summit in London for women feeling the likeability labour pressure, titled Unlikeable Woman. More than 300 women turned up to share their UK study is not an outlier. Sociologists say the pressure women feel to be likeable in order to advance professionally is a global trend. A 2024 study by the US-based recruitment firm Textio supports this. Analysing data from 25,000 individuals across 253 organisations, it found that women were much more likely to receive personality-based feedback and that 56% of women had been labelled "unlikeable" in performance reviews, a critique only 16% of men on the other hand, were four times more likely than other genders to be positively labelled as "likeable"."Women perform likeability labour for a mix of social and cultural reasons," says Dr Gladys Nyachieo, a sociologist and senior lecturer at the Multimedia University of Kenya."Women are generally socialised to be caregivers, to serve and to put the needs of others before themselves and this invariably transfers to the workplace," says Dr Nyachieo."There is a term for it in Kiswahili - 'office mathe' - or the office mother."The office mathe does additional labour to keep a workplace functioning, including making tea, buying snacks and generally being of service. I ask what is wrong with this if that is what a woman wants to do."There's nothing wrong with it," Dr Nyachieo says. "But you won't get paid for it. You will still be expected to do your work, and possibly additional work."Dr Nyachieo believes that in order to tackle likeability labour, systemic change has to happen at the root, including implementing policies that allow women flexible hours and have mentors that advocate for herself mentors several young women just starting out in Kenya's workforces."I take mentoring young women very seriously," Dr Nyachieo says. "I tell them: 'If you act pleasantly all the time, you will go nowhere. You have to negotiate for yourself'."One of her mentees is Faith."She's taught me not to feel pressure to be smiley and nice all the time," Faith says."I am working on it." You may also be interested in: The Kenyans saying no to motherhood and yes to sterilisationKenya femicide: Why men fail to condemn deadly misogynyWangari Maathai - death of a visionaryKenya's Thandiwe Muriu: Standing out in camouflageNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Dragon's Den star stripped of MBE after judge slams high-flyer as ‘selfish & untrustworthy' over £200k in unpaid bills
A FORMER Dragon's Den star has been stripped of her MBE after refusing to pay £200,000 in legal fees. Julie Meyer was slammed by a judge for being "selfish" after she failed to pay her lawyers or attend court hearings. 4 4 4 In 2022, the 58-year-old venture capitalist became embroiled in a legal row with law firm Farrers & Co. She claimed she had received a poor service and refused to pay £197,000 after they represented her during a case in Malta. An arrest warrant was issued for the entrepreneur after she failed to turn up to court and provide documents for the case. Meyer claimed she was unable to travel from Switzerland as she was suffering with conjunctivitis and didn't have a Covid vaccine. But it was decided her reasoning was insufficient to avoid attending hearings in person. Meyer was later slapped with a six-month sentence after she was ruled to be in contempt of court. And last night, the Cabinet Office revealed that the businesswoman had been stripped of her MBE. Her name appeared on a recently updated list of shamed individuals who have forfeited their honours since 2023. Disgraced former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells also features on the list, after she was formally stripped of her CBE by the King. She had already committed to relinquish the gong following fury at her role in the Horizon postmaster scandal. The document said that Meyer's gong had been taken away after she brought "the honours system into disrepute". She was awarded the MBE in 2012 for services to entrepreneurship. Sara Davies breaks silence on shock Dragon's Den exit as star says she struggled to 'juggle' her busy career Meyer was chosen to star on the online version of Dragon's Den in 2009. After her appearance on the BBC Two show, she was appointed as David Cameron 's Government a year later. She has previously supported huge tech brands such as and Skype. Handing her the six-month suspended sentence three years ago, Mr Justice Kerr slammed Meyer as "selfish and untrustworthy". He added: "I am satisfied there is every prospect that the defendant will continue to flout orders of the court unless coerced into obeying them." Later the same year, Meyer lost an appeal to overturn her suspended prison sentence. Three disgraced former submarine captains were also stripped of their OBEs by the King. Top brass urged ministers to withdraw the prestigious gongs from the trio over sex and bullying scandals. One had made an X-rated film on HMS Victorious and a second, nominated for an OBE during his misconduct probe, licked a female officer's ear, blew on her neck and punched her on HMS Vigilant. The third was found guilty of bullying on nuclear-powered attack sub HMS Trenchant. All three were commanders — James Bond 's rank — and led crews of more than 130. The Navy asked the Cabinet Office Forfeiture Committee to strip the men of their awards and King Charles gave final approval. Last year, Grime artist Wiley was stripped of his MBE after he posted anti-Semitic comments on social media. The Met confirmed they were investigating the tweets after he was dropped by his manager and banned from the website. 4
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
FLOURISHING AFTER 50: I've found love again - but now my kids are worried they'll lose their inheritance
Dear Vanessa, I never thought I'd be writing to you, but here I am at 56, divorced for 10 years, and finally with a man who makes me feel alive again. We met on a hiking trip, and it's been wonderful – until we started talking about moving in together. He wants us to sell our homes and buy something new. I have more equity, so naturally, I'd be putting in more. My kids are worried I'll lose their inheritance if things don't work out. He thinks I'm overthinking it and that love means trusting each other. After everything I've been through, I just want to protect myself and my future. But I don't want money fears to ruin what could be the best chapter of my life. How do couples in their 50s blend finances without breaking their relationship? Wishing for guidance, Linda. Linda, congratulations on finding love again. Many people in their 50s believe that part of their life is over, so it's wonderful you've found happiness. You're also wise to pause and think before making big financial moves. Love is about trust, but later-in-life relationships often come with complex money matters that need clear agreements. When you've spent decades building your assets and raising children, combining finances isn't as simple as when you were younger. A co-habitation or prenuptial agreement can outline exactly what would happen if you separated. Far from being unromantic, it creates confidence that both of you will be treated fairly, allowing you to enjoy the relationship without financial anxiety hanging over you. If you decide to buy a home together, you don't need to split ownership 50/50. Many couples use arrangements where each person owns a percentage of the property that matches what they've contributed. This also allows you to leave your share to your children rather than it automatically passing to your partner if something happens to you. It's one of the most effective ways to protect family inheritance while still buying together. At 56, your pension and retirement savings are key to your long-term security. Putting too much of your equity into a shared home may leave you with less flexibility later to invest, increase your pension contributions, or cover healthcare needs. While your main home usually isn't counted in means-tested benefits, locking up most of your wealth in property can limit your options if life changes. Keeping some money separate can help you maintain independence and peace of mind well into your 70s and beyond. Money can be an uncomfortable topic, especially after divorce, but having open and calm conversations now is crucial. A financial adviser who understands blended families can model different scenarios for you – whether you keep separate homes, buy together equally, or use different ownership shares – so you can see exactly what's at stake. If you don't have an adviser, you can use my free service to find one who's right for you here. With professional advice and the right agreements in place, you can protect your children's inheritance, safeguard your retirement, and still build a secure and happy future with your new partner. Wishing you happiness and peace of mind,
