The Chad-Cameroon pipeline has become a cornerstone of revenue for Cameroon’s public finances. Between 2020 and 2025, the Cameroonian Treasury collected 222.2 billion Central African CFA francs in transit fees from Chad’s crude oil transported to the Kribi maritime terminal. According to the Medium-Term Economic and Budgetary Programming Document (2027-2029) compiled by the Ministry of Finance, this translates to an average annual receipt of 37 billion CFA francs for facilitating the transit of each barrel across Cameroonian soil.

As a landlocked nation, Chad relies entirely on this pipeline to export its oil. The transit fee, calculated per barrel transported, is adjusted periodically through bilateral agreements. The revenue generated for Cameroon’s public finances hinges on the volume of crude transported, the transit tariff in place, and the USD to CFA franc exchange rate.

Transit revenue triples over a decade

Comparing the first decade of operations with recent years highlights the dramatic increase in earnings. Official data from the Pipeline Steering and Monitoring Committee (CPSP) shows that Cameroon collected 85.5 billion CFA francs in transit fees during the eight years following the pipeline’s launch on October 3, 2003. The average annual revenue during this period stood at around 10.7 billion CFA francs, compared to today’s 37 billion. Even over a shorter two-year span, recent collections exceed the total of the first eight years by 136.7 billion CFA francs.

This surge warrants careful analysis. The pipeline’s revenue depends on multiple factors: the transit tariff per barrel, the volume of oil transported, and the USD-CFA franc exchange rate. Without a publicly available breakdown of the 222.2 billion CFA francs, isolating the exact contribution of each variable remains challenging.

Transit tariff hikes fuel revenue growth

The steady increase in transit tariffs has been a major driver of Cameroon’s rising earnings. When the pipeline became operational, the fee was set at 0.41 USD per barrel. It was raised in 2013, then again in 2018, reaching 1.321 USD per barrel—a more than threefold increase in fifteen years. This upward adjustment has significantly boosted Cameroon’s revenue, regardless of fluctuations in transported volumes.

A new tariff revision was scheduled for October 1, 2023, based on the agreed mechanism between the two countries. However, no updated rate has been officially disclosed to date. This lack of clarity creates uncertainty about the future trajectory of transit fees, particularly as tariff negotiations remain a recurring diplomatic topic between Cameroon and Chad.

Interpreting historical data with care

When examining long-term trends, it is essential to clarify accounting boundaries. COTCO, the operator of the Cameroonian section of the pipeline, reported roughly 200 billion CFA francs in payments to the Treasury between 2004 and 2013. However, this figure included income tax and other duties paid by the company—not just transit fees. For this reason, it cannot be directly compared to the 222.2 billion CFA francs recorded between 2020 and 2025, which solely represent transit payments. The exact share of transit fees within COTCO’s 200 billion figure has never been disclosed, making the 85.5 billion CFA francs from the first eight years the most comparable benchmark.

The ongoing financial year reinforces the pipeline’s economic significance. By the end of May 2026, Cameroon had already collected 15.1 billion CFA francs in transit fees, according to CPSP data. While this figure does not predict the year-end total, it underscores the pipeline’s critical role in Cameroon’s budget, particularly in revenue derived from Chad’s oil exports. Industry observers highlight that the long-awaited publication of the new transit tariff—expected since October 2023—will be key to forecasting future earnings.