(Ecofin Agency) - Cameroon’s natural gas industry is expected to bounce back next year, after a difficult 2024. New projections from the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) show the country’s gas output could rise to 1.78 million tons in 2025, up 23% from the 1.44 million tons projected for this year.

This would mark a strong recovery after a 12.6% drop in 2024 compared to 2023, when production stood at 1.65 million tons. If BEAC’s estimates hold, 2025 would be Cameroon’s best year for gas production since 2023.

Across Central Africa, only Equatorial Guinea is expected to produce more natural gas, with an estimated 4.11 million tons next year. But even there, the trend is downward. The country has been scaling back since 2023, when it peaked at 4.9 million tons. It is expected to close 2024 at 4.82 million.

Together, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea are projected to supply nearly 85% of the sub-region’s natural gas output in 2025. BEAC sees total gas production across the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) reaching 6.94 million tons.

For Cameroon, this rebound could help ease the impact of a predicted drop in oil production. Despite the global slump in energy prices, oil and gas remain the country’s biggest export earners. In 2023, hydrocarbons made up 50.6% of total exports, according to Fitch Solutions.

Even with a steep 33.3% drop in value, natural gas alone accounted for 14.1% of export revenues last year, based on figures from the National Institute of Statistics. The government is now counting on this recovery in gas output to keep export revenues afloat.