Cameroon-African Development Bank Cooperation: THE CENTRAL PLAIN PROJECT ON TRACK

Cameroon-African Development Bank Cooperation:

THE CENTRAL PLAIN PROJECT ON TRACK

The Secretary General of the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure (MINDCAF), representing Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi, granted an audience to a delegation from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, in the MINDCAF conference room, to review the progress of the Central Plain development and planning project. This meeting is part of the ongoing dialogue between the State of Cameroon and its technical and financial partners for the implementation of major agricultural and rural development projects.

The Central Plain project aims to enhance extensive agricultural areas by improving access to land, rural infrastructure and support services (such as irrigation, access roads, technical support). It is part of a national policy to modernise the agricultural sector and mobilise available land for public-private investment operations. Previous studies and missions (including an AfDB mission) have already been carried out to define the scope, development methods and phasing of the interventions.

Discussions between the Secretary General of MINDCAF and the AfDB delegation focused on several operational and institutional areas, including:

MINDCAF reiterated its role as facilitator in providing and securing land for the project, ensuring compliance with land certificates and protecting the national landed property. The land development project for large-scale agricultural producers in the Central Plain aims to contribute to improving the competitiveness of agricultural investors through land development and infrastructure modernisation, covering an area of over one million hectares, with a total investment of more than CFA F 21 billion. More specifically, the project aims to provide legal land security, compensation for local communities and land development. Initially, 400,000 hectares for the project along the Batchenga-Ntui-Yoko-Tibati-Ngaoundere corridor will be mobilised.

The financial schedule and the commitment of partners were at the heart of discussions, particularly as regards financing needs, the expected role of the AfDB and other donors, and the budgeted amounts for the priority phases of the project. Estimates of funding for the Agro Park project were also discussed. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a conducive environment for the industrial scale development of agricultural, livestock and fishing activities, while ensuring that all governance elements are in place so that such investments are carried out under optimal conditions and for the benefit of Cameroonian.

The Ministry of State Property, Surveys, and Land Tenure emphasised the importance of a clear and sustainable land framework to prevent conflicts, accelerate allocation procedures, and ensure the long-term sustainability of investments, by implementing specific criteria for land purchasers. In this regard, MINDCAF positions itself as a “facilitator” for land allocation, the issuance of documents serving as certificate of property, either through grant of State lands or long-term leases, and coordination with other sector-based ministries and local authorities involved in this large-scale project.

The Central Plain project is one of the major agricultural initiatives discussed in recent years as part of the strengthening of the partnership between Cameroon and the AfDB. At the end of the meeting, the joint work expected between MINDCAF, the AfDB, technical ministries (agriculture, environment, livestock, public works, etc.) and local authorities aims to finalise preliminary technical and social studies, legally secure the selected plots, define an implementation schedule and a shared financing plan, and involve local communities to ensure social acceptability and the long-term sustainability of the project.

Derlin Afana