Cameroon and Indonesia will hold their second business forum in Yaounde in October, bringing together businesses from both countries to explore partnerships in agriculture, manufacturing, transport, and industrial development. The meeting is being organized on the sidelines of the 41st Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), scheduled for October 14-18, 2026, at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition in BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia.

Cameroon’s Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) announced the forum in a recent release calling on Cameroonian companies, cooperatives, employers’ organizations, and professional bodies to participate.

The second Indonesia-Cameroon Business Forum will also be open to businesses from other member states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), expanding participation beyond the two countries.

According to MINEPAT, the forum is part of activities accompanying Cameroon’s participation in TEI 2026, Indonesia’s flagship international trade and investment exhibition. The expo, held under the theme “The Ultimate Hub for Global Sourcing,” will cover food, beverages and agricultural products, manufactured goods, industrial zones, fashion and handicrafts, furniture, and home decor.

The program also includes technical visits to Indonesian technology and industrial hubs for the Cameroonian business delegation. The visits will focus on modern agriculture, livestock, manufacturing, and industrial zones.

Forum Builds on Expanding Business Contacts

The second forum comes as Cameroon and Indonesia broaden economic discussions to include transport and industrial projects. On September 4, Cameroon’s Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallè Bibhèhè and Indonesia’s Ambassador to Cameroon Agung Cahaya Sumirat discussed potential partnerships in railways, maritime transport, shipbuilding, and electric mobility, according to Cameroon’s Ministry of Transport.

The talks covered the possible involvement of Indonesian rolling-stock manufacturer INKA in Cameroon’s plans to acquire passenger coaches and locomotives. Railway rehabilitation and the construction of new lines were also discussed.

In the maritime sector, discussions covered port management, possible maritime connections between the two countries, and the modernization of Cameroon Shipyard and Industrial Engineering Ltd. Indonesian shipbuilder PAL Indonesia was identified as a potential source of technical expertise and financing. The two sides also discussed cooperation in electric public transport.

The forum follows the first Indonesia-Cameroon Business Forum, organized alongside TEI 2025. About 30 Cameroonian businesspeople participated in last year’s trade expo, according to Business in Cameroon. Their participation generated $1.2 million in completed agricultural transactions and five memorandums of understanding in agriculture, fisheries, and services, with potential deals estimated at $18.3 million.

Bilateral trade relations have also developed in recent years. Business in Cameroon, citing international trade data, reported that Cameroon exported $27.3 million worth of goods to Indonesia in 2024. Cocoa beans accounted for $21.6 million, while sawn wood generated about $4.3 million.

Indonesia’s diplomatic presence in Yaounde provides another institutional channel for the relationship. The embassy covers Cameroon as well as Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, and the Central African Republic, giving the Yaounde mission a broader Central African mandate.

For the October forum, MINEPAT has invited interested Cameroonian businesses to register through their umbrella organizations and relevant institutions, including the Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of SMEs, and Chamber of Agriculture.

Source: Business in Cameroon