Central Africa Faces $35.6 Billion Funding Gap as Growth Forecasts Signal Steady Gains

Cameroon’s corresponding figures are 3.7%, 4% and 4.1%, with annual financing needs reaching $13.9 billion and a $9.2 billion gap by 2030.

Central Africa's economy is expected to grow steadily through 2027, but turning that progress into stronger businesses, infrastructure and opportunities will require substantially more financing. The African Development Bank Group's 2026 Regional Economic Outlook estimates annual transformation financing needs of $42.9 billion by 2030, with a yearly shortfall of $35.6 billion. Presented alongside the Cameroon Country Focus Report at a hybrid event at the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) headquarters in Yaoundé on 22 September, the findings brought government, business, academic, civil society and development representatives together around the challenge of funding growth that improves people's lives.

Rising Growth Meets Heavy Financial Pressures

Regional growth is projected to increase from 3.6% in 2025 to 3.8% in 2026 and 4.1% in 2027, despite the Middle East conflict. Cameroon's corresponding figures are 3.7%, 4% and 4.1%, with annual financing needs reaching $13.9 billion and a $9.2 billion gap by 2030. Risks include excessive debt, reduced budget support, tighter financing conditions, banks' exposure to government debt, security crises, climate shocks and an Ebola resurgence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Regional debt servicing absorbed around one-third of public revenue in 2025, restricting resources available for development.

Cameroon's public debt remained sustainable at 39.4% of GDP in 2025, although its risk of debt distress was high. Servicing costs consumed a quarter of the national budget and 40.1% of tax revenue, with tax receipts representing 13.3% of GDP against the Central African Economic and Monetary Community's (CEMAC) 17% threshold. Deputy Economy Minister Paul Tasong, who chaired the launch, urged countries to mobilise resources together and pool their capabilities. Bank Group Regional Director General Léandre Bassolé stressed the need to turn financing requirements into investable projects and measurable benefits for communities.

Natural Resources, Diaspora Savings and Financial Reform

Three regional reform priorities connect available wealth with development needs. Mobilising sovereign resources includes drawing on Congo Basin natural capital, CEMAC's gold monetisation policy and BEAC's directive to gradually increase extractive companies' foreign exchange repatriation from January 2027. Gabon's recovery of $270 million in January 2026 through repatriated mining and oil site restoration funds illustrates the potential. Attracting investment beyond extractive industries and directing diaspora remittances into productive activity form another priority, supported by infrastructure-backed diaspora bonds and wider access to CFA franc bank accounts.

Strengthening regional finance involves building on the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, which enables cross-border payments in local currencies, CEMAC's first private credit information bureau and the Central African Stock Exchange's (BVMAC) Elite Programme for preparing smaller businesses to access financial markets. Pension funds, mixed guarantees and multilateral development bank financing could expand these efforts, supporting Bank President Sidi Ould Tah's vision for a New African Financial Architecture for Development. Cameroon's recommendations include monetising natural capital, formalising informal businesses, expanding public-private partnerships and blended finance, directing pension savings towards infrastructure and high-return investments, and establishing a sovereign wealth fund.

Making Financing Reforms Deliver for Communities

Cameroon could also attract more foreign direct investment and issue diaspora bonds, drawing on remittances of CFA650 billion in 2025. Financial reforms proposed include revitalising BVMAC, reducing banks' exposure to government debt, strengthening the Central African Banking Commission and securing removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list. These measures address both the availability of capital and the institutions needed to channel it towards productive investment.

BEAC Governor Yvon Bangui Sana moderated discussions involving Tasong, Congo's Economy Minister Ludovic Ngatsé, Cameroon Business Association representative Narcisse Chassem and credit institutions association representative Pierre Kam. Participants tested the recommendations against conditions on the ground, agreeing on stronger domestic revenue collection, savings, private investment and natural resource income. Their calls for closer monitoring of reforms, greater attention to gender in resource mobilisation and harmonised regional rules reflected a practical concern: development depends on using existing resources better and bringing more available financing into productive use.