The joint portfolio review conducted in Yaoundé on July 14, 2026, between the Cameroonian government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) has unveiled a significant financial risk for Cameroon. Seven operations, previously approved by the pan-African institution’s bodies and valued at 373.419 million Units of Account—approximately 292 billion FCFA—are now deemed eligible for cancellation. This precarious situation stems not from a scarcity of available resources but rather from the protracted internal administrative procedures that hinder project implementation.

It is important to clarify that these are not funds already disbursed that Yaoundé would be required to repay. Instead, these allocations represent loans and grants formally validated by the AfDB, for which either the agreements were not signed within the prescribed deadlines, or, despite legal formalization, no payments have been initiated. Six cases fall into the former category, while a seventh project belongs to the latter. The total financing with pending agreements reaches 339.419 million UC, equivalent to nearly 265 billion FCFA.

Ngoura-Yokadouma road project: a 207 billion FCFA bottleneck

One particular initiative significantly overshadows all others in terms of financial exposure. The ambitious Trans-border Economic Basins Connectivity Program, designed to fund the Ngoura-Yokadouma road development in Cameroon’s Eastern region, alone accounts for 265.4 million Units of Account—a staggering 207 billion FCFA. This single project represents more than 71% of the total amount currently facing cancellation risk. Despite its approval on February 18, 2026, the vital loan agreement remained unsigned at the time of the review.

Five additional projects are caught in a similar administrative deadlock. Among these is the second phase of the Pan-African University Support Project, which secured 3.64 million UC from the African Development Fund (ADF) and was approved on December 19, 2024, yet still awaits signature. Further stalled initiatives include the feasibility study for the Minkouma hydroelectric development on the Sanaga River (2.994 million UC), the CUA-Y2 university city study project (2.320 million UC), and the PROSTABLT program focused on risk prevention and stabilization around Lake Chad (5.095 million UC).

A crucial regional undertaking also faces uncertainty: the transport and trade facilitation project, which encompasses the construction of a bridge over the Ntem River at the border with Equatorial Guinea. Approved on November 29, 2023, this project combines a 39.97 million UC loan from the AfDB with a 20 million UC loan from the ADF.

PARZIK2: fifteen months without a single disbursement

The seventh project highlights a distinct yet equally detrimental issue. The second phase of the Kribi Industrial and Port Area Road Development Project, known as PARZIK2, actually boasts a signed agreement. However, despite this formalization, not a single disbursement has been recorded from its 34 million Units of Account allocation—approximately 26.54 billion FCFA—over fifteen months following the signature. This critical project, vital for Kribi’s role as a cornerstone of the nation’s industrial and port strategy, has thus also entered the high-risk zone.

Project execution cycle: twice as slow as the norm

The data unveiled during the review paints a concerning picture of project implementation efficiency. The average duration from the initial approval of financing to the signing of the corresponding agreement stretches to twelve months, a stark contrast to the AfDB’s standard benchmark of three months. Furthermore, securing the entry into force of these agreements typically takes sixteen months, significantly longer than the five-month expectation. The first disbursement, a crucial step for on-the-ground activity, occurs on average twenty-one months post-approval, compared to the twelve-month target. This means nearly two years often elapse before any funds are actively deployed for development initiatives.

Alamine Ousmane Mey, the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development, acknowledged the gravity of these findings. He attributed the delays to several factors, including inadequate project preparation, prolonged public procurement procedures, deficiencies within certain management units, and the tardy mobilization of counterpart funds that the state is obligated to provide alongside external resources. Such persistent bottlenecks inevitably escalate project costs and erode Cameroon’s credibility among its vital financial partners.

Since its inaugural operation in Cameroon in November 1972, the AfDB has committed 130 loans and grants, totaling an estimated 3,345 billion FCFA. The current 2023-2028 program anticipates eleven new operations, with an approval volume projected at 833.8 billion FCFA. However, the critical challenge remains transforming these financial commitments into tangible, effective projects on the ground. This conversion process currently represents a significant vulnerability in the financial cooperation between Yaoundé and the pan-African institution.