Food import bill weighs on CEMAC economies
CEMAC’s six member states collectively spent roughly 2 500 billion FCFA, or USD 4.35 billion, on food imports between 2021 and 2023, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The figure encapsulates packaged staples, grains, dairy and processed items entering Central African ports and borders.
UNCTAD analysts note that such cash outflows represent an “haemorrhage of foreign exchange” at a delicate macroeconomic moment. External shocks such as the war in Ukraine have inflated international commodity prices, meaning each additional container of wheat or cooking oil costs more regional currency than before.
The agency underlines that CEMAC’s abundant arable land remains under-utilised. While fertile basins lie along the Congo and Ogooué rivers, limited mechanisation, fragmented supply chains and modest irrigation leave local markets dependent on overseas produce, especially for rapidly growing urban centres.
Cameroon leads the spending table
Cameroon accounted for the largest slice of the regional bill, importing food worth 1 438.7 billion FCFA—about USD 1.59 billion—over the three-year window. As the bloc’s biggest economy, its diversified cities of Douala and Yaoundé have rising middle-class appetites for packaged cereals, dairy products and frozen poultry.
UNCTAD experts link Cameroon’s import profile to steady population growth and expanding consumer preferences for convenience foods. Yet the agency also points to significant untapped potential in the country’s humid forest zones and northern savannas, which could offset foreign purchases if investment in post-harvest logistics accelerates.
“Boosting local value chains would not only cut foreign bills but also create youth employment,” an economist involved in the study said, stressing the importance of agro-industrial parks that process cassava, maize and palm oil at source.
Urban living shapes Congo and Gabon demand
Gabon followed with 506 billion FCFA in food imports, equal to USD 904 million. Congo placed third at 489 billion FCFA, or USD 870 million. UNCTAD attributes both figures to high urbanisation rates: over 80 percent of Gabonese and nearly two-thirds of Congolese now reside in cities.
Port-based capitals Libreville and Brazzaville rely heavily on supermarkets stocked through maritime corridors. Demand focuses on rice, wheat flour and processed meats that local farms rarely supply in industrial volumes. Rapid city expansion, combined with limited peri-urban agriculture, tightens reliance on imports.
Still, analysts emphasise opportunities. Congo’s savannah corridors from Plateaux to Niari offer room for mechanised grain cultivation, while Gabon’s policy of economic diversification includes incentives for agro-processing investors inside its special economic zones. “Urban markets are guaranteed; the challenge is supplying them competitively,” UNCTAD observes.
Lower purchasing power in Chad and the Central African Republic
Chad and the Central African Republic recorded smaller absolute bills—120 billion FCFA (USD 214.4 million) and 42.5 billion FCFA (USD 75.7 million) respectively. UNCTAD explains the lower totals by pointing to weaker household purchasing power and different dietary structures less dependent on imported packaged foods.
Rural populations dominate both countries, where millet, sorghum and tubers produced locally still form the bulk of daily calories. However, the agency warns that climate variability and security constraints can disrupt domestic supply. Should those shocks intensify, import needs could rise sharply and strain already thin currencies.
Experts recommend region-wide storage networks and resilient seed systems to bolster food security in landlocked areas. “Preventive investment is cheaper than emergency import surges,” an agronomist consulted for the report cautions.
Experts urge rapid food sovereignty measures
Across the bloc, UNCTAD frames the current trajectory as unsustainable. Every shipment settled in dollars or euros drains foreign reserves that could finance infrastructure, health or education. Diversifying local production, the report argues, is therefore a strategic economic and social imperative.
Suggested levers include scaling up irrigation, easing access to credit for smallholders, extending rural road maintenance and harmonising phytosanitary standards to ease cross-border trade inside CEMAC. Coordinated policies, the analysts add, would help manufacturers source regional raw materials and reach a consumer market of almost 60 million people.
Potential paths for local agribusiness
Financial incentives already exist. The Development Bank of Central African States has credit lines targeting agribusiness, while individual governments offer tax holidays for investors in seed, fertiliser and cold-chain projects. Uptake nonetheless remains modest compared with the mining and oil sectors.
Stakeholders interviewed by UNCTAD believe momentum is shifting. Rising freight costs have narrowed the price gap between imported and domestically produced staples, opening room for cassava flour, plantain chips or locally milled rice to gain shelf space in supermarket aisles across Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and Port-Gentil.
If that trend continues, the region could gradually reverse the food-import curve highlighted in the 2021-2023 data. The agency concludes that political commitment, coupled with targeted public-private partnerships, will determine whether the next triennial balance sheet registers a smaller foreign currency outflow.