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After years of innovation, farmer mobilization, and industrial planning, Cameroon’s cotton sector is reversing recent declines. With growing productivity and local processing, cotton is weaving cultural identity and unlocking economic opportunities in the fashion industry.
SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Years of seed innovation, farmer mobilization, and industrial planning are bearing fruit in Cameroon, with the country projected to produce more than 350,000 tons of cotton in 2025, reversing recent declines.
After output fell in 2023 and 2024, projections by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) indicate a turnaround in 2025.
“This would be the highest level recorded by the state-run cotton company, Sodecoton, since at least 2022,” a 2025 economic projections overview read in part.
In 2023, Cameroon’s raw cotton exports fell sharply, dropping 14.7% to 127,506 tons from the previous year.
Revenue followed suit, slipping 4.8% to CFA147.9 billion (more than US$250 million), reports the National Institute of Statistics. Yet cotton remains a key player—holding firm as one of Cameroon’s top five exports and making up close to 5% of the country’s total export earnings.
Still, cotton lags well behind the heavyweights: oil dominates with 37.7%, followed by liquefied natural gas at 14.1%, cocoa beans at 12%, and sawn wood at 6.7%.
The sector supports two million people and contributes 6% of export earnings and 14.1% of agricultural GDP, according to the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD).
According to Sali Bourou, a senior researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), the projected upturn is rooted in long-term investments in genetic development and farmer support.
Over the past seven decades, Cameroon has released more than 25 cotton cultivars. The current staple, IRMA Q302, dominates due to high yield and superior fiber characteristics.
New varieties such as IRMA Z2347 and IRMA A2249 are undergoing multiplication trials to expand cotton’s footprint in difficult agronomic zones.
According to a 2019 SODECOTON-IRAD briefing, yield per hectare has tripled since the 1960s while ginning outturn has climbed above 42%.
Cameroonian cotton varieties are now being adopted in neighboring countries, reflecting the country’s growing role in regional cotton improvement.
Beyond production, attention is turning to value addition. The Industrialization Master Plan targets 50% local processing by 2025, up from 5% in 2019, according to the Ministry of Trade.
The Cameroon Cotton Industry Corporation (CICAM), the country’s main textile firm, is investing in spinning, weaving, and dyeing facilities.
The 40-billion-franc investment plan currently implemented includes both the acquisition of machinery for mechanization, the increase of collection vans, the bailout of the working capital for the supply of fertilizer, and an increase in industrial strength to improve crushing.
This shift is aimed at reducing reliance on raw exports, increasing job creation, and strengthening supply chain resilience.
“We have the raw material. Now we must create the ecosystem to transform it,” a CICAM spokesperson said during a recent trade forum in Douala.
This shift aligns with regional industrialization goals. According to the International Trade Centre, local processing of Africa’s cotton could create over 500,000 jobs in West Africa alone.
Notably, China, India, and the U.S. remain the top global cotton producers, with Brazil rapidly rising due to expanded acreage and export efficiency.
Africa’s contribution is led by the “Cotton-4” of Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Chad, with Cameroon playing a strong regional role.
Despite not ranking globally by volume, African producers are key suppliers of raw cotton to global markets.
However, sector analysts argue, their future competitiveness hinges on value addition, local processing, and textile manufacturing at scale.
In Cameroon, progress is driven by SODECOTON, the state-owned sector anchor, which supports 200,000 producers, operates nine seed factories and two oil mills, and channels over 50 billion FCFA (nearly US$100 million) back into farming communities annually.
The National Cotton Producers’ Confederation (CNPCC) complements this by offering access to inputs, training, and cooperative governance.
Despite volatility in global markets and insecurity in the north, Cameroon’s cotton sector is demonstrating structural strength and a capacity to adapt.
As Cameroon scales up its industrial ambitions, the promise of processing cotton locally stretches beyond factories and export metrics. It signals the potential to unlock creative economies, preserve cultural identity, and deepen domestic value creation.
This is most visible in the story of ndop—a centuries-old, handwoven textile from Cameroon’s Grassfields region, traditionally made with locally sourced cotton and dyed in deep indigo.
Once reserved for royalty and elders among the Bamileke people and confined to ceremonial spaces, ndop is now reemerging as a canvas for cultural reinvention, its symbolic patterns reclaiming visibility in contemporary art and design.
Some designers are now elevating Cameroon’s textile heritage by integrating traditional Ndop patterns into contemporary fashion lines.
According to Forbes, Imane Ayissi, a Paris-based Cameroonian couturier, has gained global recognition for blending African textiles such as Ndop, traditionally made with locally sourced cotton.
By combining these rich cultural fabrics with modern silhouettes, Ayissi creates a fusion of heritage and innovation that resonates worldwide.
His recent exhibitions, including one at SCAD FASH in the U.S., underline how heritage fabrics can transcend ceremonial use and enter luxury fashion spaces.
Kibonen Nfi, founder of Kibonen NY, is also redefining the use of traditional Cameroonian fabrics.
According to ‘Bold Journey,’ her “Ndop Chronicles” collection, showcased at New York Fashion Week, draws inspiration from the Bamileke royal tradition and reimagines it for urban consumers. Her brand focuses on ethical sourcing and aims to create global demand for local craft.
According to Bourou, “cotton is not just a fiber but a platform for inclusive growth, industrial ambition, and cultural pride.”
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SOURCE: bird story agency5/01/23/imane-ayissi-haute-couture-from-africa-to-scad-fash-by-way-of-paris/
