Cooperation between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Cameroon is demonstrating significant growth in approved funding, yet struggles to translate these resources into equivalent expenditure. Since the launch of the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2023-2028, the pan-African institution has greenlit eight new initiatives for Yaoundé, amounting to a combined 833.8 billion FCFA. This figure represents 67.9% of the initial indicative envelope, which was set at 1,227.5 billion FCFA for the period. These details were officially released by the Bank on July 17, 2026, following a joint review session held three days prior in the Cameroonian capital.
The pace of new commitments is clearly on the rise. The AfDB now pegs its total commitments to Cameroon at 1,603.6 billion FCFA in 2026, a substantial increase from 1,226.2 billion FCFA at the DSP’s inception. This represents a progression of 377.4 billion FCFA, or nearly 31%. Concurrently, Cameroon’s annual access capacity to sovereign window resources has surged by 57.1%, moving from 273.3 billion to 429.4 billion FCFA. These figures underscore the multilateral lender’s renewed confidence in Cameroon’s economic trajectory.
Disbursement rate stuck at 26%
However, converting these commitments into actual spending remains a persistent challenge. The entire active portfolio, valued at 1,629.2 billion FCFA during the joint review on July 14, 2026, exhibits a cumulative disbursement rate of merely 26%. This ratio encompasses both operations predating the DSP and those approved since 2023. It does not imply that only 26% of the recently approved 833.8 billion FCFA has been mobilized; rather, it highlights the country’s systemic difficulty in effectively utilizing available financing.
The obstacles identified during the review are recurrent. There are notable delays in the signing and implementation of financing agreements, insufficient allocation of counterpart funds by the Public Treasury, and slow submission of audit reports to the lender. These procedural bottlenecks impede every stage from project approval to actual execution, affecting prerequisite fulfillment, procurement processes, enterprise mobilization, and tranche disbursements.
Transport and energy dominate funding allocations
A sectoral analysis of the portfolio confirms a heavy concentration on large-scale infrastructure projects. The transport sector commands 53.83% of the mobilized resources, followed by energy, which captures 22.32%. Agriculture accounts for 10.8%, and the social sector for 9.19%. When measured against the total value of the active portfolio, these proportions translate to approximately 877 billion FCFA for transport and 364 billion FCFA for energy. Together, these two segments monopolize over three-quarters of the Bank’s exposure in Cameroon.
The Ministry of Economy has highlighted several achievements stemming from this partnership: over 570 kilometers of roads constructed, the Nachtigal hydroelectric plant with its 420 MW installed capacity, and the distribution of more than 133,000 tons of improved fertilizers and seeds. Ongoing projects are projected to create over 14,500 direct jobs, with a specific focus on opportunities for youth and women. These projections, however, remain contingent on the effective commencement of construction phases.
Reduction in red alert projects
One indicator suggests a positive shift. The percentage of projects flagged as