Yaoundé, Cameroon, 14 October 2026 — Economic growth in Central Africa slowed to 3.6% in 2025 from 4.6% in 2024. Inflation eased from 16.2% to 10.8%, but the high cost of living continues to weigh on household purchasing power. Heavy reliance on extractive industries also leaves the subregion’s economies vulnerable.
These findings were presented on 13 October at the 42nd session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for Central Africa (ICSOE). The overview of macroeconomic and social conditions highlights the urgent need to accelerate economic diversification and strengthen the subregion’s resilience.
“The near-term economic outlook remains favourable, provided countries accelerate reforms to strengthen the private sector, preserve macroeconomic stability and advance regional integration,” said Laura Ngomegni, a statistician at the Subregional Office for Central Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The subregion’s fiscal deficit widened to 3.3% of GDP in 2025 from 1.4% in 2024. The current account shifted from a small surplus of 0.2% of GDP to a deficit of 2%. Public debt remained relatively contained at around 44% of GDP in 2025, but interest payments are reducing the fiscal space available for health, education and infrastructure.
“Mobilising more domestic resources would reduce countries’ exposure to external shocks and interest-rate volatility, while easing the pressure that debt servicing places on development financing,” said Professor Bruno Ongo Nkoa, Director of the Centre for Studies and Research in Economics and Management (CEREG) at the University of Yaoundé II–Soa.
With informal employment accounting for 87% of all jobs, a gradual transition to formal economic activity remains essential. ECA also recommends improving access to finance for businesses, expanding energy supply and closing infrastructure gaps to support local processing. These reforms must be backed by stronger economic governance.
“We can expand markets for our businesses and strengthen regional value chains by removing trade barriers and coordinating economic policies,” said Jules Rommel Touka, Head of Economic, Monetary and Financial Policies at the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
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Zacharie Roger MBARGA | Communications Officer
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
637, rue 3.069, Quartier du Lac, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Tel: (+237) 222504348
Email: zacharie.mbargayene@un.org
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
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Ethiopia
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