Cameroon and the United States held their first bilateral Economic and Trade Dialogue in Yaoundé on August 27, 2026. Four sectors were on the agenda: digital technology, agriculture, energy and mining.
Washington, represented by the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, expressed particular interest in mining, technology and fintech — three sectors where the American side also flagged 'regulatory rigidities': CEMAC's foreign exchange rules, an still-unclear fintech framework, and Cameroon's mining regime.
Yaoundé for its part presented several concrete projects, including Grand Eweng, a 1,080 MW hydroelectric project led by American firm Hydromine with an estimated investment of about $3 billion, as well as a future Douala airport and a proposed sovereign national data center.
Two investment agreements worth more than 10 billion CFA francs were signed on the occasion between Cameroon's Investment Promotion Agency and American partners — a concrete result, though its real economic impact remains to be seen over time.
In the background, Cameroon's return to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) — from which the country has been excluded since January 1, 2020 — was central to the talks. The scheme gives eligible countries duty-free access to the US market for more than 1,800 products.
This first dialogue marks a shift in tone in the bilateral relationship, moving from a logic of public aid to one centered on private investment — but its real significance will depend on Cameroon's ability to address the regulatory rigidities flagged by Washington, an implicit condition for a return to AGOA.
