Certification is no longer just a commercial argument. It has now become an essential condition for access to international markets. In Cameroon, this development is already well underway: 42% of the national cocoa production is now certified, while 73% of exported bananas meet international standards. These figures reflect the country’s gradual repositioning towards more sustainable agriculture, in line with the requirements of global trade. Since 2020, 8.9 billion FCFA have thus been invested in the certification of the country’s main agricultural basins.
For a long time dominated by hydrocarbons, Cameroon’s foreign trade is undergoing a historic shift. In 2025, cocoa established itself as the country’s leading export product, relegating crude oil to second place. With 73,261 tonnes exported and a production of 309,518 tonnes, the bean, together with banana, accounts for 31.5% of export revenues, compared with 22.9% for oil. Banana exports, for their part, reach 225,345 tonnes. This performance is explained as much by the surge in global prices as by an upgrading of agricultural value chains. Cameroon now claims 42% of its national cocoa production as certified and 73% of exported banana volumes meeting international standards, a sign of a strategic repositioning towards more sustainable agriculture.
We have been present in the cocoa sector since 2010. We have worked alongside the government to support companies in certifying, in developing supply chains that are truly sustainable, in particular by labelling a good part of the production. And today, we are proud that more than 40% of national production is Rainforest Alliance certified.
Yannick Cyrille Mboba, Head of the Certification Programme for Central Africa – Cameroon
This transformation is taking place at the heart of rural areas. Since 2020, the Dja, Western Highlands and Grand Mbam basins have benefited from certification and sustainability programs. According to Rainforest Alliance’s 2020–2025 activity report, 15.5 million USD, or nearly 8.9 billion FCFA, have been invested in these farming communities. In the Grand Mbam, more than 5.2 million dollars have helped organize producers, strengthen cooperatives and protect forests. In the Western Highlands, investments support agroforestry. In the Dja, the revival of cocoa farming made it possible to market 95 tons of cocoa in 2025.
Our ambition is to support the public authorities in certifying all production, which ranges between 300,000 and 320,000 tons. You are aware that, by June 2027, the European Union regulation will apply to all companies, all producers, all operators involved in the sector. It would be good if Rainforest Alliance’s experience could be a lever for the government to demonstrate the compliance of Cameroonian cocoa.
Yannick Cyrille Mboba, Head of the Certification Program for Central Africa – Cameroon
Beyond the figures, the issue is now compliance with international standards. These programs cover around 1.1 million hectares and affect nearly 120,000 people. With the entry into force of the European Regulation on deforestation, the requirements are becoming stricter. Exporters must now prove that their products do not come from land deforested after December 31, 2020. For Cameroon, as for many producing countries on the continent, certifications, long seen as a simple commercial argument, are now establishing themselves as genuine trade passports.
