Cameroon’s 2027-2029 budget priorities set by cabinet council

Three budget exercises were programmed in a single session. Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute chaired a cabinet council on Friday, June 26, 2026, dedicated to the 2027, 2028, and 2029 budgets. With growth projected at 3.5% in 2026, public debt to be kept below 50% of GDP, and a new programme with the International Monetary Fund in preparation, the decisions made that day commit Cameroon for the next four years.

What the council decided as directives

The minister delegate to the minister of finance set the macroeconomic scene. The global economy remains weakened by the fallout from the 2026 Middle East conflict, which is expected to slow global growth from 3.4% in 2025 to 3.1% in 2026, before a slight recovery to 3.2% in 2027. Cameroon, for its part, is expected to maintain growth of 3.5% in 2026 and 3.7% in 2027. Inflation, meanwhile, continues its decline.

It is hard not to see IMF pressure behind the displayed fiscal discipline: the 2027-2029 policy will rely on concluding a new Economic and Financial Programme with the Fund, with the explicit goal of keeping the public debt stock below 50% of GDP. Efforts will focus on mobilising non-oil domestic revenues and rationalising public expenditure.

The minister of economy, planning and regional development presented the projects included in the Priority Investment Programme for 2027-2029. Digital infrastructure, roads, railways, energy, water supply, agriculture and industry are among the targeted sectors. Accelerating the deployment of digital infrastructure is a priority, alongside improving electricity supply.

What this means for Cameroonians, concretely or not

On the social front, priority goes to extending the general health insurance system to the most disadvantaged segments of the population. The special fund for women’s economic empowerment and youth employment will also be accelerated. These are announcements that are often made.

Nevertheless, the council adopted an Economic and Budgetary Programming Document for 2027-2029, which will be submitted to parliament as part of the Budget Orientation Debate. This is a formal step, but it provides a binding framework for ministries.

The prime minister instructed the minister of finance to consolidate this document quickly, in close consultation with the minister of economy. Performance contracts for public projects must be generalised.

The council concluded at 12:10 pm.