Food Import Bill Tops USD 4.35 Billion Across CEMAC
The latest compilation by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) indicates that the six member states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community devoted nearly CFA 2 500 billion—about USD 4.35 billion—to imported foodstuffs between 2021 and 2023. The statistic is striking for a region endowed with abundant rainfall, fertile basins and a comparatively low demographic density. Yet the figures reveal that Central Africa’s dinner table is still largely supplied by distant producers.
Cameroon, Gabon and Congo Lead the Spending
UNCTAD disaggregates the envelope and places Cameroon at the apex, with CFA 1 438.7 billion (USD 1.59 billion) spent over the three-year horizon. The sub-region’s largest economy is followed by Gabon, whose outlay reached CFA 506 billion (USD 904 million). Congo-Brazzaville closes the trio with CFA 489 billion (USD 870 million). In explaining the outsized dependence of Gabon and Congo on foreign food, UNCTAD points to brisk urbanisation that has accelerated dietary transitions toward imported rice, wheat and processed products, while also compressing arable land around major cities such as Libreville, Port-Gentil, Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
Contrasting Profiles of Chad and the Central African Republic
At the lower end of the ledger, the Central African Republic posted CFA 42.5 billion (USD 75.7 million) and Chad CFA 120 billion (USD 214.4 million) in food purchases abroad. UNCTAD analysts attribute these comparatively modest amounts to weaker purchasing power and a consumption basket that remains dominated by locally grown staples such as millet, cassava and sorghum. Nevertheless, even these smaller numbers represent a net drain on scarce foreign-exchange reserves that the two Sahelian economies could redirect toward infrastructure or social services.
Urbanisation and Diet Shift Deepen External Dependence
The UN agency’s commentary goes beyond accounting and diagnoses an agricultural model vulnerable to climatic shocks and geopolitical turmoil. Rapid urban growth funnels labour away from family farms and fuels preference for imported, often cheaper, calorie-dense food. The ripple effects of the conflict in Ukraine—and the ensuing spike in wheat, fertiliser and fuel prices—have amplified the vulnerability of urban households in Douala, Brazzaville and Libreville to global volatility.
Experts Advocate Accelerated Food-Sovereignty Policies
UNCTAD specialists label the current trajectory an “arterial loss of hard currency” and invite CEMAC governments to “urgently accelerate food-sovereignty and import-substitution policies.” Their prescription echoes earlier communiqués by the Bank of Central African States calling for deepened intra-regional value chains. Priority actions highlighted by analysts include upgrading rural roads to cut post-harvest losses, liberalising access to improved seed varieties and deploying targeted incentives that entice youth into agribusiness. The measures, they argue, would not only curb the hemorrhage of foreign exchange but also cushion the region against exogenous shocks.
Congo-Brazzaville’s Opportunity for Agricultural Renaissance
For the Republic of Congo, the UNCTAD table is both a warning and an invitation. Although the country’s expenditure of USD 870 million is smaller than Cameroon’s, its ratio to population is higher, underscoring a strategic juncture. Brazzaville has recently reiterated its commitment to the National Development Plan 2022-2026, which foregrounds agri-industrial corridors along the Congo-Oubangui and Niari basins. Officials stress that the ongoing rehabilitation of feeder roads, coupled with incentives for private processors in cassava, maize and poultry, aims to translate arable potential into tangible supply-chain resilience.
Balancing Regional Cooperation and Domestic Reform
CEMAC’s common external tariff, the free movement of goods and the shared CFA franc create a framework conducive to cross-border aggregation of surpluses, yet they also expose domestic producers to competition from low-cost imports arriving via Atlantic ports. Policymakers therefore face the delicate task of refining trade policy without undermining integration. Proposals currently circulating in expert circles include preferential financing through the Development Bank of Central African States for ventures that source at least 60 percent of raw inputs locally, alongside a gradual calibration of tariff schedules to protect emerging agro-industries while respecting World Trade Organization commitments.
Toward a Resilient Agro-Economy
The USD 4.35 billion figure serves as a stark reminder of the structural gap between the region’s agricultural promise and its present dependency. By aligning infrastructure upgrades, market incentives and research investments, CEMAC nations can progressively close that gap and safeguard their populations against the vagaries of international supply chains. In the words of one UNCTAD analyst, “Central Africa’s fertile soil is a strategic asset that can, with resolute policy, recapture the very currency it now leaks.”