Cameroon is the largest middle-income country in Central Africa with a diverse economy, a dynamic private sector, and a population estimated at 28.5 million inhabitants. The country is part of the Congo Basin, the most important green lung of the world, and plays a key role for the stability and sustainable development of Central Africa.
Our partnership
In line with the Global Gateway strategy, the EU supports Cameroon in promoting sustainable, inclusive, and green development throughout its territory.
Team Europe in Cameroon brings together the EU, the European Investment Bank, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. It is focusing its efforts on the three northern regions to promote political stability and economic development through sustainable and resilient territorial development in the face of climate change.
The EU adopted a Multiannual Indicative Plan for Cameroon for the period 2021-27 under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe). Under that framework, the EU allocated €178 million in grant funding to the partnerships with Cameroon over 2021-24. Cameroon also benefits from several multi-country EU programmes.
Multiannual Indicative Programme 2021-2027 for Cameroon - annex (French)
Annual action plan 2024 for Cameroon (French)
Multiannual action plan 2023-2024 for Cameroon (French)
Multiannual action plan 2022-2023 for Cameroon - part 1 (French)
Addendum 2023 to the annual action programme 2020 for Cameroon (French)
Our flagship initiatives
- Green and Resilient North
for sustainable resource management, green economic opportunities, and political stability in the three northern regions. Support focuses on:
- Promoting climate-resilient territories and preserving biodiversity: Team Europe is working at the local level on adaptation plans, the Septentrion region being already particularly affected by the effects of climate change. It supports massive reforestation plans to fight against desertification and works with local communities to ensure that protected areas and their resources are managed in a sustainable, concerted, and peaceful way.
- Supporting sustainable agriculture and food production systems: Team Europe is supporting the cotton value chain through the modernisation and green transition plan of SODECOTON, a major player structuring Cameroon’s cotton sector. This action aims at increasing SODECOTON’s transformation capacity of cotton seeds, diversifying products, and producing its own energy through solar panels.
- Promoting economic opportunities, empowering women, and creating green jobs for young people: Team Europe supports trainings for better professional integration of young people and women in green economy sectors. It also supports access to energy in rural areas, this being a key element to develop economic opportunities.
- Encouraging good territorial governance: Territorial governance activities aim at improving local management of natural resources and of territorial conflicts. For instance, Team Europe supports the inclusion of measures for agro-sylvo-pastoral space management into local development plans.
- Cities
to fostergreener and more sustainable cities by strengthening urban planning capacities and facilitating investments in sustainable urban infrastructure. Team Europe will improve urban mobility by setting up a Rapid Bus line in Yaoundé, consisting of a 22 km battery operated electric bus route, by 2028.
- Young businesses
by supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem and small businesses. Cameroon is one of the pilot countries of the continental flagship programme Investing in Young Businesses in Africa (IYBE).
- Transport
for enhanced infrastructure, efficient and safe connectivity, as well as regional integration. As part of EU-Africa strategic corridors, the EU is supporting the construction of the Logone bridge, which will cross the Logone river and link Cameroon and Chad, facilitating trade between the two countries. The construction of a 89 km Yaoundé Bypass Road is also foreseen to reduce journey times and transport costs on the Kribi/Douala-Ndjamena strategic corridor. It will also avoid the crossing of the city of Yaoundé by freight trucks and transit traffic and, therefore, facilitate urban mobility.
- Energy
for boosting access and production of renewable energy in Cameroon. Team Europe has been supporting the construction of Nachtigal, a 420 MW hydropower plant and dam that will increase electricity supply by 30% in the country. It also supports a rural electrification aiming at improving the access to energy of more than 558 rural localities throughout the territory.
- Forests and biodiversity
for sustainable development while preserving the forests of the Congo Basin. The NaturAfrica initiative, supporting biodiversity and sustainable development in the Central African region, benefits Cameroon in the management of its forest areas and of transhumance landscapes in the Northern part of the country.