Cameroon's ban on raw timber exports still faces implementation challenges

According to data from the Cameroon National Institute of Statistics (INS), the country's sawn timber exports reached 762,000 tons in 2025, generating export revenue of 157.6 billion CFA francs. Notably, although sawn timber still accounts for the majority of wood exports, both export volume and revenue have declined compared to the same period from 2021 to 2024. 

Although the National Bureau of Statistics has not provided detailed explanations for the decline in exports, industry experts believe that weak demand from Asia and Europe—Cameroon's key export markets—is likely the main contributing factor.  

Cameroon plans to fully ban raw timber exports by 2028 and is currently intensifying export restrictions to promote domestic wood processing industries. Between 2021 and 2024, Cameroon’s annual raw timber exports ranged between 475,000 and 919,000 tons; in 2025, however, exports dropped to 349,600 tons, a year-on-year decrease of over 100,000 tons—the lowest level in nearly five years. Nevertheless, despite the tightening of restrictive policies, Cameroon continues to hold a stable share in the international timber market. 

The Cameroonian government has primarily relied on tax levers to guide industrial transformation: between 2017 and 2024, the export tariff on logs was raised from 17.5% of the free-on-board price to 75%, representing a cumulative increase of approximately 350%. During the same period, according to statistics from the Cameroon Timber Industry Association (GFBC), sawn timber export tariffs were also increased, though at a relatively gradual pace, with a cumulative rise of 165% from 2016 to 2023.

Alongside the imposition of higher export duties, the government introduced supporting incentive policies to promote value addition within domestic industries: starting in 2023, import duties on wood processing equipment were exempted—a policy subsequently extended in annual budget plans. Additionally, the government designated two special industrial zones totaling 224 hectares in the eastern forestry and mining region, specifically aimed at attracting deep-processing wood industries. 

The effects of the aforementioned policies have begun to emerge, but implementation outcomes remain uneven: over the past five years, Cameroon's log exports dropped sharply from 958,000 tons in 2021 to 349,600 tons in 2025, while sawnwood exports also declined from 919,000 tons in 2021 to 762,000 tons in 2025. In contrast, veneer exports—classified as a value-added product—have seen only modest growth, rising slightly to 53,500 tons in 2025, up from 50,800 tons in 2024 and 50,300 tons in 2021. 

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