Cameroon

Rice is Cameroon’s most important staples, with value sales for pasta and noodles being significantly less. While there is some rice produced in Cameroon, it is mainly imported, with local variants considered to be of lower quality and also more…

The dominance of shelf-stable seafood in processed meat and seafood persists due to the popularity of sardines also a shift from informal to formal sales of smoked fish. Sardines, being the most affordable product in this segment, offer versatility…

Processed fruit and vegetables is expected to register a slight fall in constant value sales and a more sizeable fall in volume sales. With most products being imported, rising freight costs feeds into rising prices. Locally produced products fared…

Value sales for breakfast cereal continue to be relatively low in Cameroon, and in 2023, with consumers prioritising essentials, as purchasing power continues to decline, breakfast cereal is expected to register a significant fall in volume sales.…

While baked goods is largely dependent on imported wheat, efforts are being made to provide local alternatives in order to stabilise prices and protect Cameroon from global uncertainties. As such local ingredients such as cassava, plantains, yams,…

Chocolate spreads remains by far the largest product area among sweet spreads, with Tartina by Chococam being the best seller. It also offers Choconut. Affordable pricing, an extensive distribution network and a long-standing presence has built up…

Stock cubes and powders continue to account for most value sales in 2023. Stock cubes and powders are used copiously in Cameroonian cooking as a flavour enhancer, but value sales are also supported by the convenience, shelf stability and nutritional…

Meals and soups in Cameroon accounts for minimal value sales. These products have limited presence on retail shelves and this means that consumer awareness is low. Ready meals and packaged soup are also considered to be unnecessarily expensive…

With significant price pressures on palm oil, the government agreed an official price with industry stakeholders in 2022, of FCFA1,500 per litre, though there has had to be a degree of rationing. Discussion are still ongoing regarding Cameroon’s…

Cameroon was not as affected by the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine as many other countries. Rising global energy prices in 2022 gave a boost to government coffers and helped stabilise the economy. However, ongoing civil conflict, as…

Conflict and corruption blight Cameroon’s political landscape and have kept economic freedom depressed. Nevertheless, the economy exhibits strength in the face of global challenges, but inflation remains elevated and reliance on hydrocarbons is…

The Cameroonian yoghurt market is overwhelmingly controlled by local entities, capturing more than 90% of the market share, while imported brands struggle to secure even a small fraction of the market. These local companies maintain their success due…

There is currently a limited appetite for plant-based products, including yoghurt, in Cameroon; the market is very niche and growth is slow. Traditional dairy products dominate the market, and plant-based alternatives have yet to gain significant…

The condensed milk category in Cameroon has been significantly impacted by inflation, experiencing the highest price increase in the country’s dairy industry. After a modest rise following the pandemic, prices peaked in 2022. However, the first…

Packaged fresh milk remains a niche product in Cameroon for several reasons. One of the primary factors is the absence of a dairy processing plant, despite the country’s annual production of over 270,000 tonnes of fresh cow milk. It is important to…

According to the National Institute of Statistics, the general price increase of dairy products such as milk, cheese, and eggs reached 10.7% in 2022 and is expected to remain in the double digits by the end of the 2023 fiscal year. This increase is…

Cheese consumption in Cameroon is significantly limited, primarily due to cultural factors. Despite its widespread popularity and versatility in many regions around the world, cheese has struggled to establish itself in Cameroon. The country’s…

For several decades, palm oil and vegetable oil have held their position as the primary choice for edible oil in Cameroonian cuisine and it is unlikely to change unless a remarkable transformation takes place. The dominance of these two oils has…

The Cameroonian market for baby food has not escaped the detrimental effects of inflation. The surge in fuel prices, along with substantial increases in the cost of milk and wheat, has been instrumental in driving up the prices of baby food. Both…

The Yaoundé in Cameroon report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

The Douala in Cameroon report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

With high inflation continuing to place upward pressure on unit prices and erode purchasing power among Cameroonians, consumption of sweet biscuits has remained subdued in 2023, hence overall retail volume sales growth looks set to be unchanged in…

Growth in retail volume sales of sugar confectionery in Cameroon in 2023 looks set to be relatively modest, and only marginally above that recorded in 2022. This is mainly because high inflation fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic and…

Growth in retail volume sales of snacks in Cameroon in 2023 is expected to be down slightly on 2022 and fall below the CAGR for the entire review period. Overall demand has remained subdued as high inflation fuelled by the global recovery from…

Savoury snacks has remained the smallest of the main snacks categories in Cameroon in retail volume sales terms in 2023. This is mainly explained by the traditional preference for sweeter and more indulgence-oriented snacks among local consumers. For…

Ice cream is one of the most popular snack foods in Cameroon, not only because of its indulgence appeal but also due to the hot climate. However, informal sales of cheaper unpackaged varieties by roadside vendors still account for a large share of…

The latter part of the review period saw a number of chewing gum manufacturers in Cameroon move to address longstanding consumer complaints about quality standards by reformulating established brands and launching new varieties with softer textures…

In the first quarter of 2023, Cameroon’s National Cocoa and Coffee Board revised the maximum price of cacao beans upwards twice, bringing it to XAF1,290 per kg. These changes were attributed to a spike in demand caused by the entry of two new…

The face is the most visible part of the body and Cameroonians especially women are keen on using facial care to look after their skins. There is an increased willingness to spend more on obtaining quality facial care products. Unlike the body care…

The premium beauty and personal care category in Cameroon is still niche due to low demand as the target audience remains small. This has been a key reason why it has been a struggle to have established beauty specialists that focus solely on the…

The competitive environment in the oral care category in Cameroon is led by Colgate-Palmolive and Tropik Industries SA, the exclusive distributor of the Signal toothpaste and toothbrush in Cameroon. Colgate-Palmolive has intensified the competition…

In the past, be it in barber shops or at home, baby powders were the most common pre-shave products used with surgical spirits used as post-shave lotions to prevent bumps. These were cheaper alternatives coupled with the fact that the availability of…

The “Made in Cameroon” logo, one which started in the food industry, has rapidly gained traction and spread across other industries including beauty and personal care. As the Cameroonian government touted its import substitution policy in order to…

Hair breakages and scalp issues are some of the leading hair problems in Cameroon, which is why demand for conditioners and shampoos is on a growth trajectory. For scalp issues, dandruff is the main problem with the hot tropical climate in the…

From modern grocery retailers to small local grocers, imported fragrances continue to dominate shelves. Despite the entry of more “Made in Cameroon” brands in the market such as Chouquette, Les Essences Bantu, Mboa, Extraits, Parfums Bonheur and…

The depilatories category is slowly evolving though it remains fairly niche. Just like the category for men, razors continue to be the primary form of hair removal for most women in Cameroon. They are widely available, affordable and easy to use.…

The hot tropical climate in Cameroon especially during the dry season leads to a lot of sweating. Temperatures average around 36 degrees on a daily basis during the dry season, with this season lasting for around six months. Sweating is thus…

In the nail products category, nail polish experienced the strongest growth while nail treatments/strengthener recorded the lowest demand. Innovation continues to drive growth in nail products. Nail polish has evolved. Traditional nail polish takes a…

The beauty and personal care market in Cameroon has great economic potential. However, some sectors, such as colour cosmetics are still heavily characterised by imported products. Imports of colour cosmetics and skin care products in volume terms…

Sales of hand sanitisers plunged in both value and volume terms in 2022 as most Cameroonians now consider them unnecessary or of low priority post pandemic. The prices of hand sanitisers surged as leading players cut down production in response to…

Sensitisation campaigns of new mothers post birth and increased access to information on infant care is having an impact on the way most parents take care of their infants. There is a growing shift from the use of alternative cleaning techniques such…

This report assesses the business environment in Cameroon, focusing on the regulatory environment, stability of the financial system, FDI intake, labour market flexibility and skillset, trade openness, mobility infrastructure, ICT adoption and…

Retail current value sales of adult incontinence remain negligible in Cameroon. While the number of elderly consumers in Cameroon is growing, this consumer group remains small at well under one million people in 2022. As a result, demand for retail…

While positive growth was recorded in retailing in Cameroon during 2022, demand was under pressure due to the impact of the high inflation that was in effect throughout the year. In particular, many lower-income households struggled to make ends meet…

While positive growth was recorded in retailing in Cameroon during 2022, demand was under pressure due to the impact of the high inflation that was in effect throughout the year. In particular, many lower-income households struggled to make ends meet…

The July 2022 opening of the PlaYce shopping centre in Yaoundé represented a watershed moment in the development of non-grocery retailers in Cameroon. In addition to playing host to a large hypermarket under the Carrefour brand, this very modern new…

France-based multinational Carrefour continued to expand its global footprint during 2022 with the opening of its first hypermarket in Cameroon. This store is located at the PlaYce shopping centre in Yaoundé and it was inaugurated during July 2022.…

Multi-level level marketing remained the most popular form of direct selling in Cameroon in 2022 as the retailing category recorded a positive performance for the second year in a row. However, this was not enough for category sales to recover to…

Strong rates of natural increase will drive rapid population expansion in Cameroon in 2021-2040, despite negative net migration over the timeframe. Despite following an ageing trend, Cameroon will remain an extremely young country due to its high…

Value sales of sports nutrition are negligible and it is not expected that the situation will change over the forecast period.