The fragile economy of La République du Cameroun has entered another period of uncertainty following President Paul Biya’s end-of-year address on December 31, 2025. In response, the Group of Camerounian Enterprises, GECAM, has issued a strong manifesto titled GECAM’s Call for a Government of Action and the Restoration of Trust. The document openly admits what many Ambazonians and economic actors have long known. The current economic governance model is broken, and public trust has collapsed.
GECAM places the private sector at the centre of any meaningful economic recovery. It argues that without a new social and economic pact between the Executive and the people, Cameroon will remain trapped in stagnation. For Ambazonia readers, this call echoes years of marginalisation, economic exclusion, and policy failure in the English-speaking regions.
The employers’ group links the country’s crisis to wider global pressures. Rising geopolitical tensions, shrinking access to global finance, and instability in international markets are putting additional strain on an already weak economy. GECAM warns that the expected government reshuffle will mean nothing if it only changes faces. What matters, it says, is the capacity to act decisively and deliver inclusive and sustainable growth.
GECAM also highlights deep structural problems choking local businesses. Bureaucracy remains heavy and corrupt. Taxes are high and unpredictable. Access to credit is limited. Energy shortages persist. Regulations change without notice. These realities discourage investment and destroy confidence. For Ambazonians, these obstacles are even harsher in a context of conflict, militarisation, and abandoned infrastructure.
The manifesto admits that the post election climate has damaged the business environment. Economic actors are uncertain and discouraged. GECAM insists that restoring clarity in economic policy is now urgent. It highlights crumbling infrastructure and high transport and logistics costs, which continue to undermine competitiveness, especially in peripheral regions such as Southern Cameroons.
Rather than challenging the Head of State’s constitutional authority, GECAM proposes a practical roadmap. It calls for clear governance, better coordination between political decisions and market realities, and an administration that works. As the main source of jobs, the private sector demands simplified procedures, legal certainty, and stronger protection for both local and foreign capital.
The question now is not whether the recommendations are valid. The real question is whether a system built on centralisation, repression, and mistrust can deliver the reforms needed to unlock real economic potential.
By Lucas Muma
