Cameroon: public debt nears USD 27 billion by end-June 2026, according to Financial Afrik

Cameroon, an economic pillar of the CEMAC zone, has for several years pursued a sustained borrowing policy to finance major infrastructure projects (hydroelectric dams, roads, the Kribi deep-water port), amid heightened IMF oversight and continued dependence on oil and cocoa revenues. It is in this context that Financial Afrik reports, in its headline, a public debt stock nearing USD 27 billion by end-June 2026. At this stage, the detailed content of the dispatch remains inaccessible: the breakdown between domestic and external debt, multilateral or bilateral shares, debt servicing, comparison with previous fiscal years, and any official statements are not available, as the article is reserved for Financial Afrik subscribers. Only the overall figure appears in the reported headline. If confirmed, this amount raises questions about the country's budgetary sustainability and the State's ability to service its debt without squeezing social spending, while also shaping how multilateral creditors and the regional BEAC/CEMAC market perceive Cameroon's sovereign risk. Without details on the composition of this debt (currency exposure, interest rates, maturities), it is premature to assess the country's actual vulnerability. Open question: does this potential increase reflect greater financing of productive projects or the refinancing of maturing debt? Sankofa Finance will follow the full publication to verify these elements.