(Business in Cameroon) – Since August 5, 2025, Cameroon has implemented the 10th phase of tariff reductions under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union and the United Kingdom. This stage covers products in the third group, classified as high-revenue goods, and lowers customs duties by 60%, compared with 50% in 2024.
The affected products include utility vehicles, fuels, cement, paints, and industrial packaging. The cuts are part of a gradual process reducing tariffs by 10% each year until full exemption in 2030.
Since the EPA took effect in 2016, raw materials (first group) and intermediate goods (second group) have already been fully exempt from customs duties. However, the fiscal impact has been significant. According to the Ministry of Economy, the cumulative revenue loss for the state reached CFA88.3 billion in 2024.
Support measures meant to offset these losses through industrial growth and stronger backing for local businesses have been slow to take shape. Customs data show that in 2024, 80% of the 14,580 import operations under the EPA were carried out by large companies, while SMEs accounted for only 20%, deepening structural imbalances in the national economy.
On the export side, the EPA has helped increase Cameroon’s sales to the European Union by 33% since 2016. It has also generated jobs and provided nearly CFA250 billion in customs exemptions to local companies.
Still, these gains have yet to benefit all economic players equally, with SMEs remaining largely on the sidelines of a scheme designed to boost national competitiveness.