222.3 billion USD. Or 130,000 billion FCFA. This is the value of Cameroon’s natural capital estimated by the African Development Bank. It represents 39% of the national wealth. But the institution warns: the rent from these resources fell from 6.5% to 4.7% of GDP between 2018 and 2020, and natural capital per capita dropped by 47.9% in 25 years.
Cameroon is richer than it seems. At least on paper in terms of its natural resources.
The African Development Bank invites the country to review its method of calculating Gross Domestic Product. The goal: to include the value of forests, energy, and minerals to have a more accurate picture of the economy.
According to AfDB estimates, Cameroon’s natural capital amounts to 222.3 billion dollars, equivalent to about 130,000 billion FCFA. A heavyweight that represents 39% of the overall national wealth.
Read more Cameroon: Floods in Bamenda, Ketcha Courtes recalls six urgent preventive measures to be respected
Over 25 years, this capital has increased by 4.5%, rising from 212 to 222 billion USD. But the AfDB notes a worrying decline behind this figure.
The contribution of rents from natural capital to GDP has shrunk. It fell from 6.5% in 2018 to 4.7% in 2020.
Worse still, per capita natural capital has collapsed by 47.9% between 1995 and 2020. This is the result of double pressure: population growth and exploitation considered unsustainable of forests and mineral resources.
In 2025, the World Bank went in the same direction. It placed Cameroon’s natural wealth at 331,800 billion FCFA. In its report, human capital remains the main component of national heritage with 54%, ahead of natural capital and produced capital.
Read more Cameroon/ CAN Fe 2026: the cup precedes the presidential couple Paul and Chantal Biya in Yaoundé
For the AfDB and the World Bank, integrating these resources into national accounts is not just an accounting exercise. It is a prerequisite to guide future development financing.
A GDP that reflects the true value of the heritage would allow better planning, attract investments, and steer more sustainable policies.
The message is clear: to value what it owns, Cameroon must first count it.
Read more Cameroon: Sonatrel deploys seven transformers to boost the national grid