GDP

(Invest in Cameroon) - Cameroon's national accounts for the first quarter, published by the National Institute of Statistics (NSI), show an increase in gross domestic product (GDP) of 4.2%. "This performance stems from the dynamism of activities in the three sectors (manufacturing, secondary and tertiary)". , reads the document. A closer look at this publication, however, reveals some weaknesses that should draw attention to Central Africa's leading economy. A first point is that this progression stems from a comparison with the performance recorded over the same period in 2018. A comparison that if done well cannot disguise the variations in performance. In absolute terms, Cameroon's GDP has fallen over the last two quarters. It was already down 1% in Q4 2018 compared to the previous three months and Q1 2019 GDP is actually down 5.6%, compared to that of the last quarter of 2018. Moreover, we note that the dynamism of the tertiary sector, claimed by the Q1 2019 accounts, hides a certain slowdown. Its contribution to GDP was 2110.1 billion CFA francs during the period. This is the lowest figure since the second quarter of 2018. A similar slowdown was observed in the secondary (processing) and primary (basic manufacturing) sectors. A final point of concern is that both consumption and investment declined. Private and public investments are on a downward trend. Cameroon faces numerous headwinds both in terms of its domestic situation and internationally. Its main export commodity (oil) and other export products have seen a drop in prices since the beginning of the year and this has generated this downward trend. africaaedic.eu