Cameroon is one of the largest cassava producers in Africa, but this sector struggles to create value. With most of the produce sold or exported in its raw form rather than as a finished product, the cassava sector remains significantly undervalued, failing to maximize local economic potential.
The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can transform and unlock the true economic value of this sector. The centralization of processing units, cumbersome export procedures, and weak market coordination hinder producers from fully capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA. To benefit from the agreement, Cameroon should decentralize processing, redirect public incentives towards competitiveness, and strengthen market coordination.
Cameroon is one of Africa’s top producers of cassava, growing more than 6 million tons of it each year. But because there isn’t enough processing and storage space, losses after harvest can be as high as 30%. Limited processing of cassava and poorly organized markets make the sector less attractive to agribusiness investors, which hurts the income potential of rural producers.
This situation makes it harder for regional exports and job growth along the value chain to happen. Cameroon may not be able to fully take advantage of the AfCFTA’s opportunities without specific changes.
Decentralizing cassava processing is one of the most effective ways to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA. Presently, most processing units in Cameroon are concentrated around urban centers, far from production areas. This increases transportation costs, post-harvest losses, and limits the capacity to meet large regional orders.
Setting up small and medium-sized processing units close to production basins would let cassava be turned into higher-value products like flour, starch, and gari that meet the AfCFTA’s harmonized standards.
The above solution has worked in other African countries. For example, Nigeria’s decentralized processing units, which are backed by private investors and cooperatives, have made it easier to export high-quality cassava flour.
Cameroon can draw inspiration from this model by streamlining approval procedures for rural processors, introducing targeted fiscal incentives for processing equipment, and strengthening cooperative support mechanisms. Such reforms would deliver rapid gains, including reduced post-harvest losses, lower logistical costs, improved product quality, and higher incomes for producers.
Cameroon’s current agricultural support policies are focused on import management rather than surplus production for export. It is essential to redirect public incentives toward productivity and compliance with regional standards. Small-scale producers require access to affordable credit, improved cassava varieties, and extension services to help them meet health and quality standards.
Within this framework, state-guaranteed credit lines would reduce banks’ risks, while research institutes would accelerate the dissemination of high-yielding, disease-resistant cassava varieties. This integrated system could be piloted through the creation of a cassava export desk.
The desk would help producers and SMEs understand the rules of origin and documentary procedures of the AfCFTA. These reforms would encourage formalization, attract private investment, and strengthen the competitiveness of the sector.
There is a lack of coordination between producers, processors, transporters, and buyers in the cassava industry in Cameroon. But the AfCFTA needs a lot of cassava products, consistent product quality, and supply schedules that are easy to plan for. These are things that informal markets don’t usually offer.
Setting up community aggregation centers can help the AfCFTA reach its full potential. These centers would make it easier to combine large amounts of cassava, make sure the quality is the same, and help with price negotiations.
When combined with a digital platform that connects producers, processors, and regional buyers, this solution would make prices more clear and lower the cost of doing business. Similar experiences with aggregation systems and digital market platforms in Kenya and Rwanda have made regional agricultural trade more efficient. Cameroon could better integrate into regional cassava value chains in a way that helps both farmers and the national economy if there was better coordination.
Decentralizing cassava processing adds more value. Targeted incentives make businesses more competitive, and better market coordination makes it easier for regions to work together. If these solutions were put into action, they would help farmers, processors, consumers, and the economy as a whole. They can do more than just grow cassava; they can also cut down on food imports, help poor people in rural areas, and make Cameroon look better when it comes to carrying out the AfCFTA.
