Cameroon, IsDB Head Into 2027-2029 Framework Talks With Portfolio Near $1 Billion

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) plans to establish a 2027-2029 engagement framework with Cameroon. The financial package and final list of projects are expected to be discussed on Sept. 14 in Yaoundé during an IsDB Group Day.

In June 2026, Cameroon’s Economy Ministry said the institution’s active portfolio in the country was worth nearly $1 billion, without publishing a detailed breakdown.

The meeting is expected to follow up on an agreement in principle reached in June 2026 to develop a three-year partnership framework. On Aug. 11, a delegation led by Oussema Trigui, the IsDB’s head of country operations, also met Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze to prepare for the Group Day and the Country Engagement Framework Forum.

“We are very proud of this cooperation and want to mark the occasion with the launch of an Islamic Development Bank Group Day,” the head of the delegation said, according to the ministry’s account of the meeting. The event is expected to bring together government officials, economic partners and private-sector representatives.

The future framework is intended to allow Yaoundé and the IsDB to prioritize projects that could receive financing over the next three years. Priority areas identified so far include energy, road infrastructure and education. But the amount that could be mobilized between 2027 and 2029 has not yet been disclosed.

“There are many truly flagship projects that we are working on, and we also hope to finalize the signing of financing agreements during this day,” the official added. The statement suggests that new agreements are expected, but does not specify their number, value or disbursement schedule.

Portfolio figures vary over time

Public data on the IsDB’s portfolio in Cameroon have changed significantly over the past two years. In October 2024, the Economy Ministry reported 17 ongoing projects and one technical assistance operation, with a combined value of $962.7 million, then equivalent to 582.4 billion CFA francs.

A year later, in October 2025, the same ministry put the active portfolio at 14 projects valued at $782.01 million, or about 427.63 billion CFA francs. In June 2026, it again estimated the portfolio at nearly $1 billion.

The figures refer to different reporting dates and may not cover the same scope. Without an updated project-by-project breakdown, it is impossible to determine precisely how commitments, disbursements or completed financing have changed. The 582.4 billion CFA francs should therefore be presented as a snapshot of the portfolio in October 2024, not as its current value.

Road projects already in the operational phase

In the energy sector, one of the IsDB’s major financing commitments is the Cameroon-Chad Power Interconnection Project. In February 2022, the institution’s board approved a contribution of 122.73 million euros, or $133.59 million. The financing, equivalent to 80.5 billion CFA francs, is intended in particular to support the construction of 532 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines and four substations by 2028.

In the road sector, several projects that were previously under consideration have since moved forward. For the rehabilitation of the Douala-Bafoussam road, the government requested 212.35 million euros, or 139.29 billion CFA francs, from the IsDB. The project covers nearly 219 kilometers, in addition to the 53-kilometer Loum-Solé-Yabassi feeder road and the 55-kilometer Bafang-Nkondjock feeder road. Procurement procedures have been launched.

The Ngatt-Febadi-Likok road, about 145 kilometers long on the Batchenga-Ngaoundéré corridor, has also moved beyond the review stage. The government says it has secured IsDB financing, while procurement is continuing in 2026 to select the contractors needed to carry out the project.

Attention at the Sept. 14 event will therefore focus on three questions: the size of the 2027-2029 program, which projects are ultimately selected, and the timetable for signing the agreements and disbursing the funds. Until those details are published, the future framework remains a program under negotiation rather than financing already secured by Cameroon.

Ludovic Amara