Three budget exercises planned 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 IMF in preparation, the decisions taken that day commit Cameroon for the next four years.
What the council set as directions
The minister delegate attached to the Finance Minister laid out the macroeconomic backdrop. The global economy remains fragile due to the repercussions of 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, meanwhile, 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 non-oil domestic revenues and rationalising public spending.
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, along with 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 groups. The special fund for women’s economic empowerment and youth employment will also be accelerated. These are announcements that often recur.
Still, 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 Finance Minister to consolidate this document quickly, in close consultation with the Economy Minister. Performance contracts for public projects are to be generalised.
The council concluded at 12:10 PM.
