Cameroon: 120 new products gain duty-free access to CEMAC market

Fourteen Cameroonian companies received approvals on September 10 in Yaoundé, allowing 120 additional products to access the preferential trade regime of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). For products that meet community origin rules, this system enables duty-free circulation within the sub-region.

This latest wave brings the total number of Cameroonian companies admitted to the regime to 91, with a total of 1,328 approved products. The authorizations were presented by the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, following the review of applications by the CEMAC Regional Origin Committee, which convened in May in Douala.

Key beneficiaries include Hoka Industrie, with 32 approved products, Acero Metal with 15, the Union Camerounaise des Brasseries with 12, as well as Mousses et Dérivés du Cameroun, Société des Produits Nouveaux, and Top Food Cameroun, each with 11 products. Other companies from the industrial, agri-food, and materials sectors are also included in the list.

The CEMAC preferential regime applies to goods recognized as originating from the community according to current criteria. The Cameroonian Ministry of Commerce states that approved products can be exported duty-free and without quantitative restrictions within the community space, which includes Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and the Central African Republic.

Expanded access to the sub-regional market

The new approvals include six products from the Cameroonian Rubber Processing Company, six from Daven Bakery, five from AluBassa, three from the Sino-African Cement Company, and three from Softcare Cameroon. Santa Maria Trade and Service, Monef Slim, and Société Africa Nature each received approval for one product.

The ceremony on September 10 marked the ninth round of approvals organized for Cameroonian companies under this regime. The 120 newly admitted products thus add to the existing stock eligible for preferential treatment in the six CEMAC countries.