(Business in Cameroon) - According to Derrin R. Smith, the United States Embassy Policy and Economics Chargé d’Affaires in Yaoundé, trade between Cameroon and his country reached 294.5 billion FCFA in 2014 (487.7 million dollars). American exports to Cameroon have been dominating trade with 303.3 million dollars (183 billion FCFA), compared to 184.4 million dollars (a little over 111 billion FCFA) for Cameroonian exports to the United States.

The trade deficit is therefore over 71 billion FCFA for Cameroon. This is the case despite Derrin R Smith’s remarks when speaking at a meeting held on March 25, 2015 in Yaoundé by the American firm, Motorola Solutions, when he maintained that, “in January 2015, Cameroonian exports to the United States were more than double those of January 2014.”

Cameroonian exports’ low levels to the United States suggest that the American market has been “hardly explored” by Cameroonian companies, despite the existence of AGOA, the organisation that aims to encourage African exports to the United States. According to the study’s findings, the disinterest in the American market is due to the non-tariff barriers in place which discourage many African businesses.