Report reveals gov’t spent 5.5 billion FCFA on weapons in 2023.

Quantitatively, “in 2023, Cameroon imported 674.5 tons of weapons, ammunition and accessories, compared to 475 tons in 2022, marking a 42% increase in volume”.

The figures were derived from a foreign trade report exploited by the National Institute of Statistics, officials clarified. 

According to the report, the value of these imports tripled, rising from 1.7 billion FCFA to 5.5 billion FCFA between the two years.

However, the experts did not go into explaining why there was such a huge surge in the importation of arms and ammunition. 

Equally left obscure are specifications as to which countries are the main suppliers and if the imports include supplies for the Cameroonian military. 

This lack of details, observers say, raises questions, especially since the statistics unveiled by the NIS do not align with the country’s known needs, which portray the country’s dependence on essential necessities far from arms and ammunition.

They show, for example, that in 2023, the Ministry of Defense had an operating budget of 269.4 billion FCFA. 

Of this amount, more than 160 billion FCFA covered other expenses, including arms, ammunition, and military equipment purchases.

The NIS report also revealed Cameroon is working on developing a local arms industry to reduce its dependence on import of war arsenal. 

It should be noted that the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, had revealed plans to build a munitions production plant in Garoua, capital of the North Region. 

He had made the disclosure while addressing lawmakers at the National Assembly on June 30, 2023. The minister had given assurance that this project would be executed in partnership with the government of Turkey.

This story first published in The Guardian Post issue No3131 of Tuesday June 04, 2024