Three budget exercises planned in a single session. Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute chaired a Cabinet Council on Friday 26 June 2026 dedicated to the 2027, 2028 and 2029 budgets. With projected growth of 3.5% in 2026, public debt to be kept below 50% of GDP, and a new programme with the IMF in preparation, the decisions taken that day commit Cameroon for the next four years.

What the council decided as guidelines

The minister delegate attached to the Minister of Finance laid out the macroeconomic backdrop. The global economy remains weakened by the repercussions of the 2026 conflict in the Middle East, expected to slow world growth from 3.4% in 2025 to 3.1% in 2026, before a slight uptick to 3.2% in 2027. Cameroon, for its part, should maintain growth of 3.5% in 2026 and 3.7% in 2027. Inflation continues to decline.

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

The Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development presented projects included in the Priority Investment Programme for 2027-2029. Digital infrastructure, roads, railways, energy, water, agriculture, industry: several sectors are targeted. Accelerating the rollout of digital infrastructure is among the priorities, as is improving the electricity supply.

What it means for Cameroonians, concretely or not

On the social front, priority goes to extending the general health insurance system to the most vulnerable segments. The Special Fund for women’s economic empowerment and youth employment will also be accelerated. These are announcements that recur often.

Nevertheless, the council adopted an Economic and Budgetary Programming Document for 2027-2029, which will be submitted to Parliament as part of the Budgetary 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 ended at 12:10 PM.

By Boureima Amadou — Reporter