• Cameroon waived more than CFA9 billion in taxes on renewable energy equipment

• The incentives target solar power and potable water production systems

• Authorities report lower equipment prices as tax advantages reach consumers

Cameroon has waived more than CFA9 billion (about $16 million) in tax revenue over two years on materials and equipment used for renewable energy, particularly for potable water production and solar power. According to official figures, these exemptions totaled CFA3.7 billion in 2024 and CFA5.3 billion in 2025.

The data were provided by Minister of Finance Louis Paul Motaze during the November session of the National Assembly, where lawmakers questioned him on the issue. He noted that tax expenditures represent “what we did not collect as revenue because we granted exemptions.” The policy aims to support green energy through “indirect state subsidies to help reduce the energy and potable water deficit.”

Since 2024, the government has applied tax exemptions on imported equipment and materials used for potable water production and renewable energy. The measure, outlined in Article 5 of the 2024 Finance Law, covers about thirty products used in potable water systems, solar energy, and the health, livestock, and fisheries sectors. It is scheduled to run for two years.

Motaze said that “as a positive outcome of these exemptions, there has been a general decrease in the selling prices of imported equipment and materials, due to the requirement for importers to sign an agreement committing them to pass the tax benefit on to consumers.”

Ludovic Amara, Business in Cameroon