Cameroon plans to expand its ban on raw log exports beyond the 91 timber species already subject to restrictions, as the government continues efforts to encourage domestic wood processing. In his October 12, 2026, circular on preparation of the 2027 state budget, President Paul Biya instructed the government to maintain restrictions on unprocessed timber exports through "an extension of the list of species prohibited from export in log form."

The circular does not identify which additional timber species will be affected, how many will be added or when the new restrictions will take effect. The directive therefore sets out the government's policy direction without establishing the scope or timetable of the next round of export bans. The instruction is not new. Similar provisions appeared in the presidential circulars issued ahead of the 2025 and 2026 budgets. The latest directive follows another round of tighter forestry regulations earlier this year.

On April 28, 2026, Forestry and Wildlife Minister Jules Doret Ndongo signed an order that added 15 timber species to the 76 already prohibited from export as raw logs. The decision raised the total number of restricted species to 91. Another 23 species, classified as "promotion species," remain eligible for export in unprocessed form, subject to an additional export tax.

A Regional Log Export Ban Scheduled for 2028

Cameroon's expansion of its restricted timber list forms part of preparations for a broader ban on raw log exports across the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).

On February 23, 2024, at a meeting in Bangui, CEMAC member states and the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed in principle to introduce the ban gradually, with January 1, 2028, set as the implementation deadline. To prepare for that deadline, Cameroon has combined regulatory restrictions with higher export taxes designed to discourage shipments of unprocessed timber.

Between 2017 and 2024, the standard export duty on logs rose from 17.5% to 75% of their free-on-board (FOB) value. FOB refers to the value of goods at the point of export, before international transportation and insurance costs.

The tax rate applicable when timber enters industrial free zones is set at 60%. At the same time, the government continues to offer customs exemptions on certain equipment used for more advanced wood processing. These incentives are intended to encourage forestry companies to process a larger share of their timber in Cameroon before exporting it. The policy, however, has implications for customs revenue. In its 2027–2029 economic and budget planning document, the Ministry of Finance reported that export duties collected on timber fell by CFA7.9 billion in 2025, a year-on-year decline of 21.3%.

The ministry attributed the decrease to the gradual increase in taxes on raw log exports, a policy designed to encourage domestic processing. The decline in customs revenue therefore accompanies a deliberate effort to discourage raw timber exports through higher taxation. The government's objective is to shift more activity toward local processing, although the available revenue figures do not establish how much additional processing has resulted from the policy.

Exports of Both Logs and Sawn Timber Decline

Foreign trade statistics confirm a substantial reduction in Cameroon's raw timber exports. According to provisional figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the country exported 349,611 cubic meters of logs in 2025, compared with 475,401 cubic meters in 2024. That represents a 26.5% decline in export volume. The value of log exports also fell, from CFA47.4 billion in 2024 to CFA39 billion in 2025.

The 2025 export volume was the lowest recorded since at least 2021, when Cameroon shipped 958,323 cubic meters of logs to international markets. However, the decline was not limited to unprocessed timber. Exports of primary processed wood products also fell during the year. Cameroon exported 762,007 cubic meters of sawn timber in 2025, down from 895,572 cubic meters in 2024, a decrease of 14.9%. The value of these shipments declined by 12.5%, from CFA180.3 billion in 2024 to CFA157.7 billion in 2025.

Sawn timber therefore continues to account for a much larger share of the sector's exports than raw logs, both in volume and value. Yet the simultaneous decline in both categories makes it difficult to determine whether lower raw log exports have translated into greater domestic processing.

Although the government has tightened export restrictions and raised taxes to encourage local transformation, the trade figures alone do not demonstrate that more timber is being processed within Cameroon. Both raw log shipments and exports of sawn wood contracted in 2025.
 
Source: businessincameroon.com