The Bank of Central African States (Beac) foresees, for the current year, stronger inflationary pressures in the CEMAC zone.
A MONETARY POLICY REPORT by the BEAC predicts a significant increase in the prices of basic necessities in 2022. "The CEMAC countries should prepare to face stronger inflationary pressures in 2022 and 2023 than in 2021, in connection with freight costs, which imply an additional cost for both industrial and commercial companies, which will be carried over to the prices of products and services to households," informs the Beac.
According to Invest in Cameroon, these inflationary pressures are due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, it has contributed to the additional costs of sea freight. Moreover, a study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) confirms this hypothesis. According to her, "the impact of high transport costs will be greater in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which could see import prices rise by 24% and consumer prices by 7.5%. In the least developed countries (LDCs), the level of consumer prices could rise by 2.2%."
