Foreign and domestic investors weighing a project in Cameroon are often unclear on what the National Investment Code actually offers versus standard tax treatment. Here is a plain breakdown of how the main incentives work in practice.
Installation phase
Qualifying projects can access exemptions on registration fees, VAT on capital goods purchases, and import duties on equipment not manufactured locally, for a defined setup period before operations begin.
Operating phase
Once a project is running, eligible businesses can benefit from reduced corporate tax rates for a set number of years, with longer benefit periods generally tied to job creation and location in priority development zones outside the main urban centers.
The code applies across sectors, but agribusiness, manufacturing, and energy projects are explicitly named as priorities, meaning applications in those areas tend to move through the approval body faster than in less-targeted sectors.