This is what emerges from a report by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) published on March 21, 2022.
Russia is an important trading partner of Cameroon. According to the INS, Vladimir Putin's country is ranked 14th among the country's trading partners in 2020. This Eastern European country occupies the 8th place in imports and 74th in exports. According to data reported by the National Institute of Statistics, the trade balance recorded a deficit of 96.5 billion CFA francs in 2020, compared to 84.3 billion CFA francs in 2019, a worsening of 14%.
It is important to note that Russia is the largest supplier of wheat and fertilizers to Cameroon. During the period 2018-2020, these two products represent the main goods imported by our country. They have a weight of 65% and 17% respectively in Cameroon's imports from Russia during the same year.
However, the current armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine is disrupting trade. "The armed conflict between the two countries is already disrupting the supply chains of products supplied to Cameroon by the two countries. This situation is likely to lead to higher import costs and, consequently, to an increase in inflationary pressures in general, which are more accentuated on products from these two countries, in particular wheat flour and its derived products (bread, pasta, etc.), fertilizers and certain building materials." says the INS.
