Services
In 2019, growth in the tertiary sector was 3% down after 4.4% in 2018. This deceleration is mainly attributed to the lines of “restaurants and hotels”, “trade and repair of vehicles”, “transport, warehouses, and communications” and “banks and financial organisations”. However, growth was accelerating in the “information and communications” line. The tertiary sector contributed 1.6 points to the GDP growth and its weight was 51.5%. This acceleration is the result of the goal performance of activities in Housing and Restauration, information and telecommunications, education, banks, and financial institution fields, adding the contribution of the organization of women’s CAN (African Cup of Nations) to these dynamics.
Trade:
As far as Trade is concerned, there was a drop in trade activities in 2019 4.2% after 5.1% in 2018. This is driven by the growth of wholesale and retail sales margins of fishery and fish farming products (+502%), livestock products (+3.10%), furniture, products from various industries (+7.3%), refining products (+11.9%), rubber and plastic products (+7.4%) and leather goods and shoes (+26.2%). This change is mainly mitigated by a decline in the growth of margins in cocoa, coffee, tea, and sugar products and drinks.
The priorities of trade policy remain oriented towards promoting the consumption of local products and supporting consumption. The government actions are focused on:
- Continuation of “punch” operations which on one hand made it possible to seize several smuggles products (alcoholic drinks, disposable diapers, rice, fuel and lubricants)
- Identify offenses relating to the rise of illegal prices, the organization of fairs to promote the “made in Cameroon” products
A support fund has been created to support the “made in Cameroon” label for a period of 2 years 2021 – 2022. The transformation and marketing of products premises should be strengthened. The initiative aims at reducing the extraversion of the trade line and therefore to develop the chains of the added value of local products.
By 2017, activities focused on the organization of economic missions abroad and fairground events. Emphasis has been placed on promoting the Cameroon label with the elaboration of certificates of conformity between Cameroonian products and those imported. The operation led to the issuance of 8,049 certificates worth 123.9 million; promotional caravans, fairground markets, national consumption days, and fairs were organized.
Telecommunication:
The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Cameroon has evolved considerably since 2010, despite the persistence of the digital divide and affronts to freedom of expression online. The country’s digital landscape was boosted by the launch in May 2016 of the National ICT Strategic Plan 2020, which recognised the digital economy as a driver for development. The country has registered increased investments in telecommunication and ICT infrastructure, including extension of the national optical fibre backbone to about 12,000 km, connecting 209 of the country’s 360 sub-divisions, and neighbouring countries such as Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic and Nigeria.
By 2018, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications reported that mobile phone subscribers stood at 18.8 million representing a penetration rate of 83%, while internet penetration was 35%. There are four big telecommunications service providers in Cameroon – MTN, Orange, Viettel and the state-owned CAMTEL.
MTN Cameroon is the country’s biggest operator. According to statistics from market research company Omdia, it had over 37% market share at the end of June 2021, with Orange Cameroon close behind with 35.5% market share, Nexttel (Viettel) has about 25.5% market share and the smallest player CAMTEL has under 2% of all subscribers in the country.
There were 26.60 million mobile connections in Cameroon in January 2021 as compared to the 23.31 million connections in 2020. Among them were 22.35 million mobile phones, which corresponds to an average of 0.84 per person. The number of mobile connections in Cameroon increased by 2.6 million (+11%) between January 2020 and January 2021. The number of mobile connections in Cameroon in January 2021 was equivalent to 99.0% of the total population.
The telecommunications sector is booming, especially the market of mobile telecommunications, business digitization, and infrastructure equipment. This growth is due to the progressive rehabilitation of equipment that had been destroyed in some localities during the security crises.
This revival is explained by the diversification of promotional offers on new products and innovative services to consumers. This mainly relates to the improvement and extension of the network, the growth of voice, and the continued digitization of Data Services and value-added services (VAS)
To improve network coverage and quality services, investments mainly focused on:
- The deployment of the fiber broadband infrastructure, as part of the implementation program of the National Broadband Network Phase II, the setting of ICT infrastructure and equipment for CHAN and CAN.
- The construction of two pylons for the Olembé and Jopama stadiums,
- The interconnection with Nigeria, the CAR, and Gabon results in the laying the progress of transnational links of nearly 1,000 kilometers of fiber optics.
The digital economy is based on a threefold dimension, namely the development of broadband electronic communications infrastructures, information technology, and electronics; new economy activities based on broadband infrastructure and the internet; transforming existing activities by mainstreaming the use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technology).