(Business in Cameroon) - At end-March 2021, public corporations’ non-guaranteed debt was XAF932 billion (representing 3.9% of GDP), according to a note on the economic situation recently published by the Autonomous Sinking Fund (CAA). Specifically, their domestic non-guaranteed debt was XAF469.4 billion while their external non-guaranteed debt was XAF462.1 billion at the time.

Those figures may not be accurate because the CAA warned that it is gradually adding new data as public corporations make them available. As far as the public corporations’ non-guaranteed debt is concerned, the sinking fund explains that it is stable on a Month-to-Month basis since no new data was received from public corporations. The CAA also explains that out of the 35 public corporations on its list, only six provided new data. The rest however are still not transparent.

The six corporations that provided their debt data are Société camerounaise de dépôt pétrolier (SCDP) whose debt is XAF2 billion, Société nationale de raffinerie (XAF373.9 billion debt), Camair-Co (XAF62.4 billion debt), MAETUR (XAF3.3 billion debt), MEAO (no debt), and CAA (whose debt is XAF2.2 billion).

The remaining public corporations that have not provided new debt data include Aéroports du Cameroun, Sodecoton, Campost, Camwater, Cicam, Magzi, Camrail, Sopecam, and Semry.

Sylvain Andzongo