Cameroon’s Industrial Zones Development and Management Authority (MAGZI) wants to move to a much larger scale. At a workshop organized with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the state-owned company presented a plan to expand its network of industrial zones, with more than 9,000 hectares of new sites planned by 2035.

The goal is to strengthen Cameroon’s supply of industrial land at a time when the country seeks to speed up local processing of raw materials, attract more productive investment and improve the position of local companies in regional markets, including under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

MAGZI currently operates 11 industrial zones covering 1,293 hectares. The sites are located in Bonabéri, Bassa, Yaoundé-Sud, Ombé, Garoua, Ngaoundéré, Bafoussam, Bamenda-Nkwen, Koumé-Bonis and Mandjou-Kano. The company also says it has total land assets of 2,277 hectares.

The network hosts 405 companies that employ more than 20,000 people. According to figures presented in the MAGZI-UNIDO workshop press kit, companies located in MAGZI industrial zones generated output valued at CFA4,622.15 billion in 2023, or 3.14% of national production. Their value added is estimated at CFA1,383.2 billion, with a contribution of 0.4 percentage point to GDP growth.

These figures show MAGZI’s economic role. Created in 1971 as an industrial and commercial public institution, then transformed into a state-owned company by Decree No. 2019/205 of April 24, 2019, MAGZI is responsible for developing and managing industrial zones across the country. Kribi, Limbé and Minim-Martap are part of the new industrial map.

By 2035, MAGZI plans to create new industrial zones in several locations. The identified projects include Yassa, in the Littoral Region, with 300 hectares; Dibombari, also in the Littoral, with 500 hectares; Edéa, with 300 hectares; Nomayos, in the Centre Region, with 201 hectares; Mbankomo, with 300 hectares; Kribi, in the South Region, with 5,000 hectares; Ebolowa, with 150 hectares; Kyé-Ossi, with 150 hectares; Limbé, with 1,000 hectares; Minim-Martap, in Adamawa, with 500 hectares; Maroua, with 500 hectares; and Bafoussam, with 200 hectares.

Counting the Ebolowa site only once, the planned area totals 9,101 hectares. Kribi alone accounts for more than half of the new land, with 5,000 hectares planned. This choice reinforces the strategic role of the port city, already positioned as one of Cameroon’s main logistics and industrial centers. Limbé, with 1,000 hectares planned, also appears as a future industrial anchor in the Southwest. The Dibombari, Maroua, Minim-Martap, Mbankomo and Edéa sites reflect the goal of building a wider industrial network beyond the already crowded hubs of Douala and Yaoundé.

The inclusion of Minim-Martap is also significant. The Adamawa locality is linked to the bauxite project developed by Canyon Resources. A future industrial zone in the area could, over time, support processing or service activities around that mining basin.

Financing remains the main bottleneck. The program’s success will depend on MAGZI’s ability to mobilize funding that matches its ambitions. The company itself says the lack of adequate financing remains one of its main constraints. According to the press kit, funding mobilized for its activities is estimated at about CFA20 billion over nearly 50 years.

In this context, MAGZI is calling for the creation of a national fund to develop and finance industrial zones. The mechanism could be funded through tax resources, permanent subsidies, capital opening and contributions from multilateral partners. The workshop organized with UNIDO is intended to structure that support. The UN agency has worked with MAGZI since May 2023, with the aim of concluding a technical assistance program to modernize the company, strengthen its capacity, upgrade existing industrial zones and develop new sites.

As part of this cooperation, an economic survey was conducted from November 17, 2025, to February 17, 2026, among a sample of 200 companies located in the industrial zones of Bassa, Bonabéri, Ombé, Yaoundé, Bertoua, Bamenda, Ngaoundéré and Garoua. The results are expected to help identify upgrade needs, competitiveness constraints and priority projects to submit to public authorities and financial partners.

For MAGZI, the challenge now is to move from land management to integrated industrial development. The planned expansion of more than 9,000 hectares will have real impact only if the new sites are serviced, connected to transport and energy infrastructure, legally secured and backed by a credible financing strategy.

Source: Business in Cameroon